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THE HOG; ^^ 



HIS ORIGIN AND VARIETIES, 

MANAGEMENT WITH A VIEW TO PROFIT, 

AND 

~~EATMENT UNDER DISEASE: 



..„ .1 Vol .IELATIVE TO THE MOST APPROVED MODES OF 
G AND PRESERVING HIS FLESH. 

Date 
Spr 

BY 

H. D. KICHAKDSON, 

Author of "The Horse," "Domestic Fowl," "The Pests of the Farm," 
"The Hive and the Honey-Bee," etc. 



WITH ILLUSTRATIONS ON WOOD. 



NEW YORK: 
C. M. SAXTON, 

AGRICULTURAL BOOK PUBLISHER, 
1852. 









Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1852, by 

C. M. SAXTON, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern 



District of New Fork. 



/ 



■r from 
Office Lib, 
mi J914, 



S. W, BENEDH 'I', 

StEBEOTTPEB ,Wh ('KIMaR, 

jo Sj/i no- tlreet, X. Y. 



PUBLISHER'S ADVERTISEMENT. 



The Publisher, haying found the want of small, cheap Books, of 
acknowledged merit, on the great topics of farming economy, and 
meeting for those of such a class a constant demand, offers, in this 
one, a work calculated to fill the yoid. 

The works of Richardson on the Hog, the Horse, the Bee, the 
Domestic Fowl, and the Pests of the Farm, are popular in England 
and in America, and, in evidence of their worth, meet with continued 
sale both there and here. Hitherto they have not been offered to the 
American public in an American dress : and the Publisher presents 
in this Reprint, one of the series, adapted to American wants, and 
trusts that a discerning Public will both buy and read these little 
Treatises, so admirably adapted to all classes, and fitted by their 
size for the pocket, and thus readable at the fireside, on the road, 
and in short everywhere. 

C. M. SAXTON", 

Agricultural Book Publisher. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 



Utility of the Hog 



Page 
.. 7 



CHAPTER II. 
The Wild Original 9 



CHAPTER III. 
Varieties of Domestic Hog , . . . J6 



Page 

Chinese and Siamese 17 

Berkshire 20 

Irish 21 

Hog of Ancient Ireland ib. 

Suffolk 22 

Cheshire .'. ib. 

Hampshire 23 

Yorkshire ib. 

Shropshire ib. 

Wiltshire ib. 

Herefordshire 24 



Gloucestershire 24 

Northamptonshire ib. 

Norfolk ib. 

Leicestershire ib. 

Lincolnshire 25 

Essex ib. 

Improved Essex ib. 

Essex Half Blacks ib. 

Sussex ib. 

Old English 26 



CHAPTER IV. 
Continental Varieties. 



Westphalian 26 

Neapolitan 27 

French Swine ib. 

Poitou 28 



Pay d'Auge 28 

Perigorde ib. 

Champagne ib. 

Boulogne ib. 



CHAPTER V. 



Points of a Good Hog, 



28 



CHAPTER VI. 



Houses and Piggeries. 



CHAPTER VII. 



Breeding, Rearing and Feeding 



CHAPTER VIII. 
Time requisite for Feeding Fat, Quantity of Food, and Proportionate In- 

crease of Weight in a given Time 43 



6 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER IX. Page 

Diseases of Swine 44 

Page 



General Remarks 44 

Fever 45 

Leprosy 47 

Murrain lb- 
Measles 49 

Jaundice ib. 

Foul Skin ib. 

Mange ib. 

Staggers 



51 



Crackings 51 

Swelling of the Spleen, or "Katille,". ib. 

Surfeit 52 

Lethargy ib. 

Hearings 53 

Diarrhoea, or Looseness 54 

Quinsy ib. 

Tumors ib. 

Catarrh, or Cold 55 



CHAPTER X. 



Slaughtering and Curing 

Unnecessary Cruelty in Killing de- 
precated, and a Humane Method 
pointed out ; also various Modes of 
Killing, as now and formerly prac- 
tised 55 

Dressing and cutting up 57 

Different Modes of Curing 58 

Mild Cure 59 

Smoking ib. 

Best Sawdust for CO 



94 

Westphalia Hams (50 

Limerick ib. 

Hampshire ib. 

Wiltshire 61 

Skinning ib. 

Patent Curing Machine ib. 

On Extracting or Discharging Salt 

from Cured Meat 62 

Practical Directions for Curing on a 

small or large scale ib 



HOGS; 

THEIR ORIGIN AND VARIETIES. 



CHAPTER I. 

UTILITY OF THE HOG. 

The Hog is an animal whose properties are calculated, in a 
very remarkable degree, at once to awaken the aversions and com- 
mand the consideration of mankind : the former excited by the 
habits and manners displayed by the animal during life ; the lat- 
ter the result of reflection upon the sources of profit derivable from 
his carcass after death. The hog is at once the foulest and the 
most useful of quadrupeds. In aspect and general form he is un- 
inviting ; his life is seemingly devoted to the attainment of sen- 
sual or disgusting objects which constitute his enjoyments : and 
yet, however filthy in his habits, unsocial, often ferocious, he may 
be, he is one of the most valuable of animals ; and is esteemed 
from the palace to the meanest cabin. 

It is probable, that the repulsive habits of the hog, in a domesti- 
cated state, are attributable to his domesticators — the human race. 
The wild boar, the original of the domestic hog, does not present 
the same disgusting habits or gross sensuality as does his reclaim- 
ed descendant. It may be stated, that the domestic hog is blood- 
thirsty and treacherous. The proofs of such a disposition rest 
upon a few occurrences ; we can easily bring forward instances of 
an opposite character. We have many proofs of the sagacity that 
the hog is possessed of, and to elicit which, education and judi- 
cious management are required ! Have we not had " learned 
pigs," capable of selecting cards from the pack, and of joining 
letters together to form words ; and of performing many other 



6 HOGS. 

tricks that, were the sagacity of the hog of inferior grade, it never 
could have been taught to perform? Then' are two instances of 
this animal having been trained to the sports of the field : one oc- 
curred in the establishment of that celebrated sportsman. Colonel 
Thornton; and a sow was broken in to set game by Mr. Toomer, 
gamekeeper of Sir II. P. S. Mildmay. The latter animal turned 
out a most stanch pointer, and would quarter her ground, point, 
and even back the dogs, as correctly and as brilliantly as any first- 
rate setter of the canine race. Having been detected in the act of 
devouring a lamb, she was sold, and met the usual fate of her 
brethren — the knife of the butcher. 

Nor are instances rare of the hog having conceived affection for 
other animals of a different race. A domestic pig attached itself 
to a bulldog, whom he would follow everywhere, and with whom 
he would gambol and play in the most harmonious maimer; if 
the dog went with his master on a ramble, the pig would form, if 
permitted, one of the party; and when a stick was thrown into 
the water, for the dog to fetch, the pig would rival his canine as- 
sociate, boldly take to the water, and delight in swimming; if it 
succeeded in reaching the stick sooner than the dog, it would take 
it in its mouth, and fetch it safely to land. 

Such pigs as I have been for any length of time in the habit of 
visiting, have not only recognized me, but testified joy on my ap- 
proach, and satisfaction at my caresses; nor could this have origi- 
nated in motives of a selfish or sensual nature, as I was not their 
feeder. 

It may be said that the pig naturally loves foul food and filthy 
bedding. That the wild boar does not is evident from his cleanly 
habits, and the dr\ and clean lair which he forms in his native fo- 
rest ; and that the domestic hog does not will be admitted by any 
person who has witnessed the delight that animal manifests on 
being furnished with fresh straw after his sty has been cleansed. 
"A hog is the cleanest of all creatures, and will never dung or 
stale in his stye, if he can get forth." " The hog, though he 
tumble in the dirt in the summer, is not a filthy animal. Hedoeth 
it, partlie to cool himselfe, partlie to kill his 'lice; for when the 
dirt is drie he rubbeth it off, and therebie destroyeth the lice." 
And do not other members of the order, including the half -reason- 
ing elephant, practise the same ; a resource no more than parallel 
with the custom of some savage nations, anointing their skins with 
grease for the same purpose, "it is the fact that the hog will thrive 



THE WILD ORIGINAL. 9 

better, and fatten more quickly, if kept with proper attention to 
cleanliness. We have not improved the character, or ameliorated 
the condition of this animal by domesticating him, — many of those 
habits that excite our disgust, are attributable to our misconception 
of his natural propensities, and mismanagement of him in a state 
of captivity. The hog, as we generally find him, is, in life, a very 
disgusting brute ; and still, all these disagreeable qualities are 
amply counterbalanced by his extraordinary utility after death. 

The flesh of the hog is remarkable for the property of taking 
salt more kindly than any other description of meat ; it conse- 
quently retains its sweetness for a much longer period, and is, on 
that account, particularly calculated for ships' stores. It can be 
used for a greater length of time without change, without produc- 
ing weariness of its use, or any of those unpleasant effects com- 
monly attendant on the continued use of salt provisions, as scurvy, 
&c, than any other description of salted meat ; besides, it is den- 
ser in texture, and therefore goes farther. 

The lard of the hog is in high esteem with the apothecary, for 
forming plasters, ointments, and other similar preparations — with 
the hairdresser, for forming pomatum, bear's grease, cold cream, and 
other accessories of the toilet. Its bristles are in demand with 
brushmakers and shoemakers ; of the skin is made pocket-books, 
saddles, boot-tops; and even the ears are frequently made into 
pies. The hog furnishes another article, when properly fed and 
managed with a view to its production, namely, brawn. Among 
the properties of the hog, we must not omit sausages and black 
puddings, the former so greatly relished as adjuncts to dishes of a 
less savory character ; nor, in conclusion, is the manure produced 
from the sty to be overlooked, nor its fertilizing properties forgotten. 

I thus offer an apology for the hog's disagreeable peculiarities ; 
he really is the most useful of quadrupeds. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE WILD ORIGINAL. 

The Hog belongs to the Class Mammalia, or animals possess- 
ing teats or mammw, for the nourishment of their young — to the 
sixth order, Pachydermata, or thick-skinned animals — to the ge- 
1* 



10 HOGS. 

nus, third of the order, Sus, or swine — and to the species, Sus 
Scropha, or Hog. 

The dentition of the hog is as follows : — 

Incisors £ or £ Canines };} Molars ffi 

The incisors of the lower jaw are directed obliquely forwards ; 
those of the upper are of a conical form. The canine teeth, or 
tusks, continue to grow, and increase in size during the whole of 
the animal's lifetime, projecting from the mouth, often to a very 
considerable length, and frequently curving outwards and back- 
wards towards the extremities. The molars, or cheek teeth, are 
simple and tuberculated. There are four toes on all the feet, of 
which the two middle ones only rest upon the ground ; but there 
exists a peculiar breed of swine, in other particulars true hogs, but 
possessing a solid hoof, formed of a single toe. These hogs arc 
found in Sweden, especially about Upsall. 

The nose of the hog is elongated, cartilaginous, and the snout 
is furnished with a particular bone. This arrangement is appar- 
ently with a view to facilitate the rooting and turning up the earth, 
in which the animal, in a state of nature, finds the chief portion of 
its subsistence. The teats are twelve in number ; the body is 
cylindrical in form, and is covered with a thick skin, furnished, 
more or less, with bristles and stiff hairs ; besides which, in some 
varieties, is an under coat of close curled hair. The ear is either 
small and upright, or large and pendulous. This member forms 
the chief characteristic of the domestic hog, and a large and pen- 
dent ear will be found the general concomitant of large size. 

The Wild Boar is the origin of our domestic varieties of hog. 
They resemble him closely in form, and when permitted the en- 
joyment of their natural propensities, in habits also. The period 
of gestation in the wild and domestic Sow is the same, viz., six- 
teen weeks, and the two animals freely breed together, and pro- 
duce fertile young ; and these young will breed between them- 
selves. Some writers have asserted the hog of the South Sea 
Islands, of China, and the Indian dominions to be distinct species, 
but without foundation. 

The Hog is to be found in Europe, Asia, and the North of 
Africa. It has been introduced into, and thrives in America, Aus- 
tralia, and the South Sea Islands. In America he presents a slight 
variation of form in the Dicoteles, and in Africa in the Phaco- 
choeres. That of the South Sea Islands has been asserted to be a 



THE WILD ORIGINAL. 11 

distinct species of true pig ; but erroneously. It is not impossible 
that we might reclaim the Babyroussa and the Dicoteles ; and the 
acquisition would be sufficiently valuable to warrant the attempt. 




WILD BOAR. 

The "Wild Boar is very common in all the reedy marshes of 
Tartary and Siberia, and in the mountainous forests in the vicinity 
of Lake Baikal, as far as Lat. 50°, but is said not to occur in the 
northern extremity of Siberia. 

The hog was not indigenous to the American Continent, but 
introduced into it by the Spaniards ; either the original stock 
was a good one, or the breed has thriven peculiarly in that 
country, the present South American breed being remarkable for 
arriving early at maturity, and fattening easily. A sow, and a 
litter with her, were brought from Monte Video. One of these 
fattened, when very young, to 336 pounds ; and although ripe, it 
had, in the opinion of the butcher, more flesh in proportion than 
he had ever before witnessed. 

The food of the wild hog consists chiefly of roots and vegeta- 
bles. Worms, insects, as well as acorns, beechmast, chestnuts, are 



12 HOGS. 

also greedily sought after and devoured ; and acting upon a 
knowledge of the animal's feral habits, some proprietors turn 
out their swine to feed in the forests, searching for and driving 
them home when in a fitting condition. The pork of hogs, thus 
suffered, for a time, towards the close of their life, to cater for 
themselves, is found to be peculiarly sweet and delicate. A simi- 
lar system is still resorted to in many parts of America, and with 
equal success; for we are not to judge of the true flavor of 
American pork from such as is at present imported into this 
country, its coarse taste and extreme hardness of texture being the 
result of the curing process adopted, and not of any improper 
method of feeding. 

The Hog is, unless hard pressed, by no means so foul a feeder 
as many suppose. This will be the better understood from the 
following table, representing the comparative graminivorous pro- 
pensities of the ox, horse, sheep, goat, and hog. 

The ox eats 276 plants and rejects 218 
The horse 262 " " 212 

The sheep 3S7 " " 141 

The goat 449 " "129 

The hog 72 " " 171 

The boar is, in his wild state, an object of terror, but when re- 
duced to captivity, becomes comparatively gentle and manage- 
able. A wild hoar kept some years ago in the Parisian me- 
nagerie, performed several tricks, went through different exer- 
cises, and assumed various attitudes; — the stomach was however 
the "master of arts 1 ' on this occasion, for bread was the reward 
of obedience. In confinement, the wild boar soon becomes as 
inured to filth as the nastiest amongst his domesticated brethren. 

The color of the wild boar is a brownish black, inclining to 
grey ; he is usually not so large as our domestic breeds of hoe-, 
not exceeding from twenty-five to thirty inches in height at the 
shoulder; instances, however, of its attaining a larger size are 
recorded. He lives about thirty years; having attained maturity 
at about the fourth season. In habits, he is solitary, and lives 
apart from his kind in the forests. During the rutting season, 
in the months of December and .January, he goes forth from re- 
tirement, and rejoining the herd, selects a mate. This -election is 
of course not made without many an obstinate conflicl with fierce 
and formidable rivals, but the conqueror and his bride betake 
themselves to some unfrequented spot, and pair for thirty days. 



THE WILD OEIGINAL. 13 

The sow brings forth from four to ten little ones at a litter. The 
domestic hog is more prolific than his wild original, and even 
fourteen and fifteen young have been produced by the domestic 
sow at one litter. At birth, the sow carefully conceals her farrow 
from the boar, who would otherwise devour them. The color of 
the young of the wild sow is a pale yellowish brown, marked 
with longitudinal black bands. The females live together in 
herds ; several litters, with their dams, joining company, and the 
young boars remain with the herd until maturity. The habits of 
the wild boar are nocturnal, for he lies close during the day, and 
in the evening he goes forth to feed. In harvest time he does 
much mischief to the grain crops, and to the vineyards, tramp- 
ling beneath his feet more than he consumes as food. The boar 
has been asserted to be in part carnivorous, and it has been 
stated that he eats horseflesh, and that the skins of deer, as well 
as claws and bones of birds, have been found in his stomach. It 
has even been stated that he will seek for and devour the smaller 
kinds of game, as partridges, leverets, and also eggs. Some, in 
alluding to the propensity for devouring their young, frequently 
displayed by the domestic sow, as also her occasionally destroying 
and devouring young children in the cradle, have endeavored to 
account for it, by attributing to them a violent craving for blood ; 
this may be so. 

Professor Lowe very naturally suggests that a sow's devouring 
her young is, in the strictest sense of the word, an unnatural act, 
one that would not take place in a state of nature, and most pro- 
bably the consequence of the artificial position in which the ani- 
mal is placed, — surrounded by filth and damp, and exposed to the 
annoyance of being constantly disturbed by visitors ; for at this 
period, the sow is particularly irritable. 

As to their destroying children, other animals have done so 
quite as frequently as the swine ; and yet, these solitary instances 
have never been recorded as a stigma upon their entire race. The 
fact is, that the poor pig has far more than its just share of sin to 
answer for. 

Hunting the wild boar is an exciting and dangerous amuse- 
ment, perhaps one of the most so amongst field sports. It is usu- 
ally followed by mounted huntsmen, armed with spears or rifles, 
aided by hounds, and attended by assistants, called on the conti- 
nent "piqueurs" or prickers, whose duty it is to find and rouse 
their game from his lurking place. The boar is an animal of no 



14 HOGS. 






contemptible swiftness, and it is not every horse that is able to 
keep up with him, when once fairly afoot. Unless molested, or 
his lair threatened with invasion, the boar will not attack man ; 
but once aroused, his ferocity is formidable, and his defence of the 
most resolute description ; he displays so much courage and de- 
termination, that it is impossible not to regard his character as 
partaking of the noble, and almost to regret the destruction of so 
brave a foe. When overtaken and brought to bay, is the time 
when the affray becomes invested with a serious character. Woe 
then to the horse who suffers himself to be seduced or goaded 
into too close proximity with the infuriated animal : woe to the dog 
who attempts to seize the monster by the ear or flank, prior to its 
strength having been sufficiently reduced by the spears or bullets 
of his human foes : and woe to the huntsman, who, thrown from 
his steed, or whose own foolhardiness has induced him to venture 
too near, fails in heart or hand, so as to cause the fatal ball to 
swerve from its true course, or direct the boarspear with nerve- 
lessness or irresolution. In such case, death and destruction are 
dealt around ; — dogs, horses, and men are successively overthown 
with ferocity and irresistible force. The boar inflicts a terrific 
wound with his tusks ; and a horse once wounded by him, can 
never again be induced to approach him. Most clogs that have 
been thus served, and have recovered, have proved useless 
cowards. 

The wild boar of Europe is now, however, by no means the 
formidable quarry he once was ; and, in the foregoing description, 
it was his Indian Congener that I had more particularly in view. 

An old French newspaper details an account of an extraordinary 
boar killed near Cognac, in Augoumois. This was a beast of 
most formidable dimensions and notoriety. He had been fre- 
quently hunted, but unavailingly ; his prodigious strength and 
powers of endurance bringing him off on all occasions, safe, if not 
scatheless ; he had killed many horses and dogs, and maimed and 
killed several men ; when at last slain, several bullets, received 
during previous conflicts, were found between the skin and the 
flesh. His size was prodigious, but his exact measurement not 
known. He had a very lengthened head, an elongated and sharp 
snout, and a terrific mouth, with formidable tusks of unusual mag- 
nitude and shape. The hair on the body was white, on the head 
yellowish, and on the neck was a black band ; the ears were very 
large and straight. Notwithstanding the prodigious bulk of this 
creature, he displayed great swiftness. 



THE WILD OKIGINAL. 15 

In India, boar-hunting is still deemed a favorite diversion, and 
is eagerly pursued. The chase is usually followed on Arabian 
horses, which are preferable on account of their superior speed and 
tractability ; the boar goes off at first in a slow trot, which soon, 
on being pressed, merges into a shambling gallop ; the pace of the 
animal is then so swift that he can only be taken by running 
down. In a run of three miles the boar has often escaped alto- 
gether, and instances frequently occur of the chase extending 
, over seven miles of country. The ordinary height of the Indian 
1 boar is three feet, but sometimes three feet six inches in height. 
The young of the Indian animal are of a pale yellow color, irre- 
gularly brindled with yellowish brown. 

In former times, the wild boar roamed the glades of our own 
, forests, and, as one of the noblest beasts of chase, had the honor 
iof enjoying, with his compeers, the express protection of royalty. 
!Of its existence, various records remain, and these consisting 
i chiefly of edicts or proclamations that had been issued, announ- 
i cing sundry pains and penalties as the consequence of its illegal 
I destruction. 

Fitzstephen, who wrote in the latter part of the twelfth century, 
, states, that boars, wolves, wild bulls, and other game, abounded in 
I the great forests surrounding London ; and Scottish writers have 
| not failed to mention those of Scotland. 

Of the precise date of the extinction of the wild boar in the 
I British Islands, we have no available record ; but it is known, that 
; so recently as the date of Charles I. that monarch endeavored to 
I introduce these animals to the New Forest, Hampshire; these 
jwere, however, all destroyed in the civil wars. 

We conclude this chapter with a few observations as to the es- 
timation in which the hog has been held in different ages and in 
\ various lands. Moses, the inspired lawgiver of the Jews, prohibit- 
j ed the use of swine's flesh to his followers : " Because it divideth 
the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud." The Egyptians could eat 
pork only once a year, viz., on the Feast-day of the Moon, on 
which occasion they sacrificed to that luminary as a goddess. At 
all other times the hog was held to be unclean ; and if any one 
only touched one of these animals, he could not enter a temple, 
nor hold intercourse with his fellow-men, until he had dipped, 
clothes and all, in the waters of the far-famed Nile. Those em- 
| ployed as swineherds belonged to a class or caste, degraded, des- 
'pised, and, like their charge, held in utter abomination. This 



16 HOGS. 






aversion to the hog became transmitted to Northern Egypt, and 
the Copts altogether avoided rearing or keeping any of the race. 
The causes for these prohibitory enactments have been variously 
explained, but perhaps the most probable is, that in Egypt, Syria, 
and even the southern parts of Greece, the flesh of the hog, 
though in appearance white and delicate, is destitute of firmness, 
and is so overloaded with fat as to be calculated to disagree with 
the strongest stomach. An indulgence in such pork, therefore, 
under a burning sun, would possibly be attended with fatal conse- 
quences. Tacitus states, as the cause of swine's flesh being re- 
jected by the Jews, the liability of that animal to be afflicted with 
leprosy ; the use of sow's milk is mentioned by Plutarch as pro- 
ductive of that loathsome disease. 

It has been affirmed that the chief cause of the rejection of Ma- 
hometanism by the Chinese was, their partiality for the flesh of 
the hog, denounced by that religion as an abomination. 

During the days of the Roman empire, when epicurism had 
probably attained a greater height than it has ever since been per- 
mitted to reach, one of the most favorite dishes of the time, as 
well as the most fashionable, was a pig roasted entire, stuffed with 
various delicate birds and spices, steeped in choice gravies and 
costly wines. 

Another great Roman dish was an entire hog, one half roast 
and the other boiled, and so carefully and curiously prepared, that 
the most accurate eye could not discover the process by which the 
animal had been put to death, or the stuffing introduced. 



CHAPTER in. 

VARIETIES OP THE DOMESTIC HOG. 

Domestication has invariably the effect of producing varieties 
of any given species of animals. These variations from the orig- 
inal, spring from variety in the feeding and management — indi- 
vidual taste or caprice in breeding, with a view to a particular 
form or size — or the crossing with other and allied stock. It is 
possible that all these have operated in the case of the hog ; and 
it is certain that we have now, in the breeding of that animal, 
arrived as nearly at perfection as we could reasonably hope. It 



VARIETIES OF THE DOMESTIC HOG. 



17 



were well that breeders always knew where to stop, for even im- 
provement has a limit ; and crossing, when carried beyond a cer- 
tain point, will almost inevitably result in deterioration. 

It has been asserted, that there exist only three actual varieties 
of the domestic hog— the Berkshire, Chinese, and Highland, or 
Irish ; and that all other breeds, described as separate varieties, 
are nothing more than offshoots from one or other of these three 
main stocks. That such, to a certain extent, is the case, we admit. 
The fact is, however, that we are indebted for our numerous varie- 
ties of hog, as at present known, not only to these three well-known 
varieties, but also to the African hog — the Spanish, and Portu- 
guese, and the Italian — chiefly, however, to the wild boar of the 
European forests. 



THE CHINESE HOO. 

The Chinese Hog is to be met with in the south-eastern coun- 




ties of Asia, as Siam, Cochin China, the Burman empire, Cambo- 
'dia, Malacca, Sumatra, and in Batavia, and other eastern islands. 
There are varieties of the hog in India and China, and hence the 



18 HOGS. 

occasional confusion of nomenclature met with in Looks of natural 
history. 

There arc two well-marked varieties of the Chinese hog — that 
from Siam, and that from China proper. The chief, if not only, 
point of difference subsisting between them is, however, in color 
— the Siamese variety being usually Mack and the Chinese white. 
Neither of these hogs, however, present constant uniformity in this 
respect, their color frequently varying, and Mack hogs coming 
from China, while white ones are brought from Siam. Even in 
the same litter, have pigs of different colors frequently been seen, 
and instances of the occurrence of pied individuals. In the case of 
all animals submitted to the influence of domestication, color 
alone is by no means a safe criterion in the enumeration of varieties. 

The Chinese hog is of small size. His body is very nearly a 
perfect cylinder in form ; the back slopes from the shoulder, and 
is hollow, while the belly is pendulous, and in a fat specimen 
almost touches the ground. The ear is small and short, inclines 
to be semi-erect, and usually lies rather backward. The bone is 
small, the legs tine and short. The Bristles are so soft as rather 
to resemble hair. The skin itself is, in the Siamese variety, of a 
rich copper color, and the hair black, which gives to the general 
color of the animal somewhat the effect of bronzing. In the 
Chinese variety, the color is usually white, sometimes black, and 
occasionally pied. The white sort are deemed preferable, from the 
superior delicacy of their flesh. The face and head of the Chinese 
pig are unlike those of any other description of swine, somewhat 
resembling a calf. 

Both the Siamese and Chinese hogs are very good feeders, arrive 
early at maturity (a most important particular in any description 
of live stock), and feed fat, on less food, and become fatter and 
heavier within a given time, than any of our European varieties. 
The Chinese value the hog very highly ; they live more upon pork 
than on any other description of animal food; and it is said, that 
they even use the milk of the sow. 

The Chinese take great care of their swine, and pay particular 
attention to the quality and quantity of their food, feeding them 
at regular and stated intervals. They do not permit them to walk, 
but when necessary, have them carried from one place to another. 
They keep the beds and styes of their hogs scrupulously dry and 
clean ; it is to this attention that we are possibly to attribute 
the excellent qualities of Chinese pork. The Chinese hogs that 



VARIETIES OF THE DOMESTIC HOG. 19 

we generally see in this country come principally from the vicinity 
of Canton, brought thence as sea stock. It is scarcely to be re- 
gretted that this breed is not sufficiently hardy to thrive in our 
climate. From this circumstance, we are compelled to limit the 
advantages we might otherwise derive from its introduction to 
crossing with our own coarser domestic breeds of swine. For this 
purpose it is truly valuable ; and the improved race, thus produced, 
is infinitely superior even to its Chinese progenitor, the latter, in a 
pure state, being too small, and hence answering rather for pork 
than bacon, besides fattening even too easily. Both these objec- 
tions are obviated in the cross, which has further the effect of re- 
storing diminished fecundity. 

The most profitable cross to be resorted to, was, in the first in- 
stance, found to be between the old English, which is not unlike 
the present Irish breed, and the black Chinese. This cross pro- 
duced a most capital breed, and a little judicious intermixture after- 
wards, with proper selection of boar and sow, has eventuated in the 
desired improvement. By too constant crossing with the Chinese, 
we may possibly diminish both the size and fecundity of our own hog. 
This circumstance should induce breeders at all events to use cau- 
tion and judgment, that they may be aware of the precise moment 
when they have arrived at the highest attainable perfection ; these 
observations will apply only to a very limited per centage of 
breeders ; the majority, requiring rather to be aroused from the 
indolence which induces them to abstain from all endeavors towards 
bettering the condition or character of their stock. 

The Chinese breed is not so well known in Ireland as it is in 
England, or in Scotland, although the climate of the last-named 
country appears so unsuitable to its constitution. France culti- 
vated this breed earlier than we, and the hog usually described 
as the Portuguese, is so extremely like the Chinese, that it has 
been made a question whether these varieties are not identical. 

In cases where the reader has reason to suspect that he has 
crossed too long from the Chinese breed, he will find a dash from 
the wild boar, or Westphalian, most valuable ; this cross will aid 
in restoring size, but have a still greater effect on the quality of 
the meat, causing the fat and lean to be more regularly mixed, 
and imparting to them a delicacy of flavor that will be duly ap- 
preciated by the lover of good pork or of sound sweet bacon. The 
imperfections in shape, and excess of bone and offal which cha- 
racterize the wild boar, will altogether disappear in the finer form 



20 



HOGS. 



of the degenerated stock with which you cross him. This cross will 
further supply a suitable thickness of skin — a most essential 
quality, especially in ptork — for in thin-skinned pork the cracklin 
or skin becomes so hard and metallic that no teeth can master it, 
whereas in a thick-skinned animal it is merely gelatinous, may be 
easily masticated, and is a part of the animal too much valued by 
epicures, and consequently too valuable in the shambles, to admit 
of being neglected by the judicious breeder or producer. This 
thinness of skin, so objectionable in a pork pig, becomes the reverse 
when the animal is designed for bacon. The small size, however, 
of the eastern hog renders him only suitable for pork, and hence 
one reason why too long crossing from him should be avoided. 
The thinness or thickness of the skin must not of itself alone be 
deemed a recommendation or the reverse. The thick skin must 
not be coarse, for a coarse thick skin denotes a bad stock, and pork 
encased in such a cuticle is shrunk in the cooking ; hence a practice 
with some cooks to score the skin even of boiled pork, in order to 
allow to the flesh room sufficient for swelling. 

THE BERKSHIRE. 




This county has the honor of being the first to avail itself 01 



VARIETIES OF THE DOMESTIC HOG. 21 

the opportunity of improvement afforded by the introduction of 
foreign stock, nor have its breeders paused where they began, or 
omitted following up with judgment, perseverance, and success, 
the advantage they thus, in the first instance, obtained. 

The Berkshire hog is of large size, and is almost invariably of a 
reddish brown color, with black spots or patches. The old breed 
of Berkshire is now extinct, and has been so for many years ; it 
had maintained a high reputation for centuries. It was long and 
crooked-snouted, the muzzle turning upwards ; the ears large, 
heavy, and inclined to be pendulous ; the body long and thick, 
but not deep ; the legs short, the bone large, and the size very 
great. This, of course, was not any thing like perfection ; the 
want of depth of body and the weight of bone were highly objec- 
tionable, but it was altogether a material improvement upon the 
gaunt and rugged old English pig, whom it speedily superseded. 

The modern and improved Berkshire was in Laurence's time 
lighter both in head and ear, shorter and more compactly formed, 
with less bone, and higher on the leg. This breed has been since 
still further improved by judicious crossing ; it still has large ears, 
inclining forward, but erect, is deep in the body, with short legs, 
small bone, arrives early at maturity, and fattens easily and with 
remarkable rapidity. In these improvements we recognize the 
results of intermixture with the Chinese, but also with another 
variety yet to be described. The colors and marking of the 
Berkshire hog show him also to owe a portion of his blood to the 
wild boar. The true and improved breed of Berkshire is of large 
size. One of the greatest improvers of modern times was Richard 
Astley, Esq., of Oldstone Hall. 

THE OLD IRISH "GREYHOUND HOG." 

These are tall, long-legged, bony, heavy-eared, coarse-haired 
animals, their throats furnished with pendulous wattles, and by no 
means possessing half so much the appearance of domestic swine 
as they do of the wild boar, the great original of the race. In 
Ireland the old gaunt race of hogs has, for many years past, been 
gradually wearing away, and is now perhaps wholly confined to 
the western parts of that country, especially Galway. These swine 
are remarkably active, and will clear a five-barred gate as well as 
any hunter ; on this account they should, if it be desirable to keep 
them, be kept in well-fenced inclosuies. The breed of hogs in 



22 



HOGS. 



Ireland has improved greatly of late years, and this, the old un- 
profitable stock, is rapidly disappearing. The form of the Irish 
hog is now so nearly approximated to that of the English, that 
the two animals are not readily distinguished from each other. 

Notwithstanding the rather unpromising exterior presented by 
the original old Irish hog, it would be unfair to omit recording his 
peculiar susceptibility of improvement. It may be well to add 
that the Irish swine possesses flesh of a peculiarly good flavor. 

The most remarkable breeds of hogs, are those of : 




SUFFOLK BOAR. 

Suffolk, said by most writers to be the most nearly related 
to the Chinese : my reasons for espousing this opinion will be 
found in the description of the animal, that of the Chinese being 
at the same time duly borne in mind. The Suffolk breed of Swine 
are a small, delicate pig, thin-skinned, soft-haired, small, pricked 
ear, — color white; they are in character like the Chinese, fed 
almost as easily, are more hardy, and possess more lean meat. 

The Cheshire breed is chiefly remarkable for its vast size, 



VARIETIES OF THE DOMESTIC HOG. 23 

which is almost gigantic. It has a very large and heavy head, 
long narrow body, long legs, large bone, great heavy ears, and 
loose, ungainly skin : color, large patches of black and white, or 
blue and white, or white. This breed is susceptible of much im- 
provement by crossing with the Chinese, or the Neapolitan. 

The Hampshire. — This breed is not unfrequently confounded 
with the Berkshire, but its body is longer, and its sides natter ; 
the head is long, and the snout sharp. The color is usually dark 
spotted, but sometimes black altogether, and sometimes white. In 
many parts of Hampshire, especially in the neighborhood of the 
New Forest, it is usual to permit swine to pass a considerable 
portion of their existence in the woods; the result is superior 
quality of flesh, exhibiting much resemblance to that of the West- 
phalian hog, but still more delicately flavored. On this account, 
the Hampshire bacon is in much demand, and fetches a higher 
price than that of Westphalia. This is partly attributable to the 
mode of curing. The original breed of Hampshire was not such 
as I have described, being generally of a white color, coarse, raw- 
boned, and flat-sided. The present race owes its origin to the 
Berkshire, Suffolk, and Chinese breeds, and latterly to a cross from 
the Leicester ; the effect of the last has been increase of size, the 
j original race seldom exceeding four hundred pounds. 

The Yorkshire. — The old breed was about the very worst and 
| most unprofitable we had, being gaunt and greyhound shaped, 
I with long, ungainly legs and great excess of bone. Its constitu- 
I tion was likewise bad, it did not well endure the cold of winter, 
! when severe, and hence was a bad sty-pig. These swine, how- 
| ever, attracted the attention of breeders to the improvement of 
| their form, for they possessed one excellent quality. They were 
j quicker feeders, and fattened more rapidly than many pigs more 
'promising in external appearance. The improvement that ulti- 
imately proved successful was a cross with the true Berkshire. 

Shropshire. — The original pigs of this county were of a white 
j or brindled color ; the head was long and coarse, the ear large 
*and flabby, and the hair wiry — the leg also too long and the 
jweight of the bone great. A cross with the Berkshire and ori- 
ginal Chinese has greatly improved this stock. The same may be 
said of the 

Wiltshire breed, originally, it is believed, from Wales. They 
were long-bodied, low and hollow about the shoulder — high on 
the rump, of middling size, round-limbed ; large pointed ear ; of 



24 



HOGS. 



a light color. Of itself, of comparatively little value, but like the 
preceding breed, an excellent cross with the Berkshire stock. 

Herefordshire. — Generally supposed to be the result of a 
cross with the Shropshire ; it is shorter in the body, carries less 
bone than that breed, has also a lighter head, a smaller ear, a less 
rugged coat, and is altogether a far more valuable animal. This 
hog is little inferior to the Berkshire breed. 

Gloucestershire. — The Gloucestershire hogs are somewhat 
less in size than the preceding, and are also shorter in the body, 
rounder both in frame and limb, and altogether more compactly 
built. They make good store hogs, and their pork is of prime 
quality. 

Northamptonshire, of a light color, of a handsome shape, 
light and small ear, little bone, deepsided and compactly formed. 
This is a profitable porker and a good store, for he feeds well, 
fattens rapidly, and arrives early at maturity. 

Norfolk. — A small breed, with pricked erect ears ; color vari- 
ous, but generally white. The white colored are said to be the 
best ; when striated or blue, the breed is inferior, at least generally 
so. This is a short-bodied and compactly formed pig, and is an 
excellent porker. There is another Norfolk variety, of larger size, 
spotted, but inferior in point of delicacy. 




THE LEICESTER SOW. 



Leicestershire. — An ancient breeding district, and once great- 
ly celebrated for its swine. The old stock were large-sized, deep 



VARIETIES OF THE DOMESTIC HOG. 25 

in the carcass, and flat-sided ; head and ear light and handsome ; 
color light spotted. 

Lincolnshire. — The old Lincolnshire breed was light color- 
ed, or even white, with, in most specimens, a curly and woolly- 
coat, of medium size ; good feeders, came early to maturity, and 
fattened easily. 

The Essex was in former days a very capital hog, but degene- 
rated, and, of course, lost the esteem of breeders. A recollection 
of the former good qualities which characterized the breed in- 
duced "some persons of practical judgment to revive it, which was 
accordingly done ; and now this hog, under the name of 

The Improved Essex, ranks, most justly, very high amongst 
our British breeds of swine. The improvement of this hog is due 
to a cross with the Neapolitan ; and this cross has been so fre- 
quently resorted to, that the pure Essex breed and the Neapoli- 
tan are so much alike that it is not every cursory observer who 
is capable of discriminating between them. It is probable, also, 
that the Chinese was employed in the regeneration. The Essex 
hog is up-eared ; has a long, sharp head ; a long and level carcass, 
with small bone ; color most frequently black, or black and 
white. This is a quicker feeder, but he requires a greater propor- 
tion of food than the weight he attains to justifies ; besides which, 
he is troublesome in a fold, being restless and discontented. The 
pure breed should be almost bare of hair, and black in color. 

There is another improved Essex breed called the Essex half 
blacks, resembling that which I have described in color, said to be 
descended from the Berkshire. This breed was originally intro- 
duced by Lord Western, and obtained much celebrity. They are 
black and white, short-haired, fine-skinned, with smaller heads and 
ears than the Berkshire, feathered with inside hair, a distinctive 
mark of both ; have short, snubby noses, very fine bone, broad 
and deep in the belly, full in the hind quarters, and light in the 
l bone and offal. They feed remarkably quick, grow fast, and are 
I of an excellent quality of meat. The sows are good breeders, and 
: bring litters of from eight to twelve, but they have the character 
j of being bad nurses. 

iTHE Sussex. — Black and white in color, but not spotted, that is 
to say, these colors are distributed in very large patches ; one-half 
— say, for instance, the forepart of the body — white, and the 
j hinder end black ; or sometimes both ends black, and the middle 
2 



26 



HOGS. 



white, or the reverse. These are no way remarkable ; they sel- 
dom feed over 160 lbs. 




The Original Old English Breed was not very unlike the 
Old Irish or Highland ; long in the legs, large coarse ear, heavy 
head, rugged hair, and carrying too much bone to be profitable. 
This breed has yielded to the march of improvement ; and, unless 
in parts of Cornwall, it would be difficult to discover a surviving 
specimen. 



CHAPTER IV. 

varieties of the domestic hog continued CONTINENTAL 

VARIETIES. 



Of the Continental varieties of the hog, the most important, 
and which requires our attention in the first instance, is 

The Westphalian. — This is the animal whose hams are so 



VARIETIES OF THE DOMESTIC HOG. 27 

much relished amongst us, and which, on that account, form no 
small item of the importations for which we are indebted to our 
German neighbors. The Westphalian hog requires little descrip- 
tion, for he is a very near relative of the wild boar of his native 
country ; and like that fierce and once formidable animal, usually 
roams at large in the forest, feeding chiefly upon beechmast and 
acorns, until slaughtered. The color of the adult Westphalian 
hog varies ; but in every case whatever may be the hue of the pa- 
rents, the young are, at birth and for some months afterwards, 
marked with the longitudinal bands characteristic of their wild 
blood. "* As to the improvement resulting from an occasional cross 
with the wild original, I refer to the animal under consideration. 
It is, in the first instance, to the cross that their excellent quality 
of flesh must be attributed. 

The Westphalian swine are seldom over-fat ; but they are not 
on that account to be deemed difficult to fatten. On the contrary, 
they will, if kept up, take fat with remarkable facility, and attain 
an enormous weight. 

The Neapolitan Swine. — This is a variety well worthy of at- 
tention, as a cross from it is productive of very remarkable im- 
provement. The color of the Neapolitan swine is black, with no 
bristles, and little or no hair. The flesh of these swine is ex- 
tremely delicately flavored, and the fat has not that rankness so 
objectionable in some other varieties ; they are anything but 
hardy animals, not being able to endure our climate ; it is merely 
as affording the opportunity of forming, by crossing, a valuable 
mixed breed, that they are deserving of notice. With the true 
Berkshire breed, the Neapolitan produces a cross, surpassed by 
none in every desirable quality, especially if a dash of the white 
Chinese be added. The intermixture of these breeds — the Nea- 
politan, Chinese, and Berkshire — may be regarded, if done judi- 
ciously, as the perfection of swine breeding. After having been 
a short time in this country, the Neapolitan hog begins to lose his 
naked appearance, and to acquire a coat better suitable to a more 
chilly climate. 

The French Swine. — The French appear to have long known 
the value of a cross with the Chinese variety of hog, and most of 
their best breeds bear evidence of having, more or less, relation- 
ship to that animal. The most remarkable French breeds are, 
those of Poitou, the Pays d'Auge, Perigord, Champagne, and 
Boulogne. 



28 HOGS. 

The Poitou has a long and rather bulky head, with pendulous 
and somewhat coarse ears — an elongated body, broad and strong 
feet, and large bones ; its hair and bristles are harsh. That of the 
I'.iys d'Auge has a smaller head, with a sharp muzzle, narrow and 
pointed ears, long body, broad and strong limbs, but small bone — 
hair coarse, scanty in quantity, and of a white color. The Perigord 
swine are generally black — a very short and lumpy neck, with a 
broad and compact carcass. Those of Champagne are of considera- 
ble size, long-bodied and flat-sided, with a broad pendant ear. 
Those of Boulogne are related to the English breeds. Their 
color is usually white. They are of a large size, have a large broad 
ear, and are quick fatteners. It is to these swine that we are in- 
debted for the celebrated Boulogne sausages. 



CHAPTER V. 

POINTS OF A GOOD HOG. 

I would caution the reader against being led away by mere 
name, in his selection of a hog. A hog may be called a Berkshire, 
or a Suffolk, or any other breed most in estimation, and yet may, 
in reality, possess none of this valuable blood. The only sure 
mode by which the buyer will be able to avoid imposition is, to 
make name always secondary to points. If you find a hog pos- 
sessed of such points of form as are calculated to ensure early 
maturity, and facility of taking flesh, you need care little what it 
has seemed good to the seller to call him ; and remember that no 
name can bestow value upon an animal deficient in the qualities to 
which I have alluded. The true Berkshire — that possessing a dash 
of the Chinese and Neapolitan varieties — comes, perhaps, nearer 
to the desired standard than any other. The chief points which 
characterize such a hog are the following : — In the first place, suffi- 
cient depth of carcass, and such an elongation of body as will en- 
sure a sufficient lateral expansion. Let the loin and breast be 
broad. The breadth of the former denotes good room for the play 
of the lungs, and a consequent free and healthy circulation, essen- 
tial to the thriving or fattening of any animal. The bone should 
be small, and the joints fine — nothing is more indicative of high 
breeding than this ; and the legs should be no longer than, when 



POINTS OF A GOOD HOG. 29 

fully fat, would just prevent the animal's belly from trailing upon 
the ground. The leg is the least profitable portion of the hog, and 
we require no more of it than is absolutely necessary for the sup- 
port of the rest. See that the feet be firm and sound ; that the 
toes lie well together, and press straightly upon the ground ; as, 
also, that the claws are even, upright, and healthy. Many say 
that the form of the head is of little or no consequence, and that a 
good hog may have an ugly head ; but I regard the head of all 
animals as one of the very principal points in which pure or im- 
pure breeding will be the most obviously indicated. A high-bred 
animal will invariably be found to arrive more speedily at maturity, 
to take flesh earlier, and with greater facility, and, altogether, to 
turn out more profitably, than one of questionable or impure stock ; 
and, such being the case, I consider that the head of the hog is, by- 
no means, a point to be overlooked by the purchaser. The de- 
scription of head most likely to promise, or rather to be the con- 
comitant of, high breeding, is one not carrying heavy bone, not too 
flat on the forehead, or possessing a too elongated snout — the 
snout should be short, and the forehead rather convex, curving up- 
wards ; and the ear should be, while pendulous, inclining somewhat 
forward, and, at the same time, light and thin. Nor should the 
buyer pass over even the carriage of a pig. If this be dull, 
heavy, and dejected, reject him, on suspicion of ill health, if not of 
some concealed disorder actually existing, or just about to break 
forth ; and there cannot be a more unfavorable symptom than a 
hung-down, slouching head. Of course, a fat hog for slaughter, 
or a sow heavy with young, have not much sprightliness of deport- 
ment. 

Nor is color altogether to be lost sight of. In the case of hogs, 
I would prefer those colors which are characteristic of our most 
esteemed breeds. If the hair be scant, I would look for black, as 
denoting connection with the Neapolitan ; but if too bare of hair, 
I would be disposed to apprehend too intimate alliance with that 
variety, and a consequent want of hardihood, that, however unim- 
portant if pork be the object, renders such animals hazardous 
speculations as stores, from their extreme susceptibility of cold, and 
consequent liability to disease. If white, and not too small, I would 
like them, as exhibiting connection with the Chinese. If light or 
sandy, or red with black marks, I would recognize our favorite 
Berkshire ; and so on, with reference to every possible variety of 
hiK'. These observations may appear trivial ; but they are the 



30 HOGS. 

most important I have yet made, and the pig buyer will find his 
account in attending: to them. 



CHAPTER VI. 

HOUSES AND PIGGERIES. 

An enclosure, proportionate to the number of swine which you 
intend to keep, and, if possible, so managed as to admit of extrud- 
ing the accommodation, will be found the best for general purposes. 
It should be provided with a range of sheds, so situated as to be 
thoroughly sheltered from wind and weather, paved at the bottom, 
and sloping outwards. Relative to the paramount necessitv of 
cleanliness and dryness, let both enclosure and sheds possess the 
means of being kept so. In order to keep the sheds, which are 
designed as sleeping places, in a dry and clean state, an inclination 
out war- Is is necessary : a shallow drain should run along the whole 
of their extent, in order to receive whatever wet flows down the 
inclined plane of the sleeping huts ; and provision should also be 
made for this drain to carry off all offensive matters beyond the 
precincts of the piggery. 

The ground, on which the piggery is established, should likewise 
be divided into two parts, by a drain, which should run through 
it; and towards this drain each section should slope. This the 
main drain should be carried beyond the fold, and fall into a large 
tank or pit formed for that purpose. The object in view is to keep 
the pig-fold and styes in a clean and <]vy state, and to preserve the 
valuable liquid manure, which conies from the animals you keep. 
Some will probably inquire whether it would not be better to 
suffer the moisture to soak into earth or straw, or other substances 
on the floor of the enclosure, and then to clear all away periodi- 
cally, than to drain oil' the liquid into a tank. By drawing off 
the liquid you add to the cleanliness of your swine, and, in propor- 
tion, to their health and capacity for thriving; and the collection 
of the liquid manure into tanks is less troublesome than the re- 
moval of substances, saturated with it, from the floor of the fold, 

WOUld he. 

The sties should be so constructed as to admit of being closed 
up altogether, when desirable; for swine, even the hardiest breeds, 



HOUSES AND PIGGEKIES. 



31 



are susceptible of cold, and if exposed to it in severe weather, it 
will materially retard their fattening. The sty should be kept con- 
stantly supplied with clean straw. The refuse carted into the tank, 
will, in the form of manure, more than repay the value of the 
straw. It has been asserted, that swine do not thrive, if kept to- 
gether upon the same ground in considerable numbers ; this asser- 
tion rests on a want of ventilation and cleanliness. 

As to troughs, let them be of stone or cast metal ; — if of wood, 
the pigs will soon gnaw them to pieces ; — and let them be kept 



l y i y i y 

1 a l d a 



@ 



n* 



1 2 



P 

03 



V \ V \ v } v 



A 

OS 



B 

DG 
D6 



/d 



5 



PIGGERY. 



A, B, front ; C, C, rear for pens ; 5, 5, pens with alley between ; v, v, v, v, 
vats on level with pens; 1, safety valve ; 2, Steam pipe; 3, supply barrel 
to boiler; 6, boiler; /, furnace ; p, platform partly over boiler; 4, chimney; 
t. drain; w, water-cistern; g-, door to cellar; s, s, stairs; d, d, doors; 6, 6, 
scuttles to cellar ; t/, y, yards to pens. 



32 HOGS. 

clean. Before each feeding, a pail of water should be dashed into 
the trough : this may be deemed troublesome, but it will confer 
golden nturns on those who attend to it. 

A supply of fresh water is essential to the well-being of swine, 
and should be freely furnished. Some recommend this to be 
effected by having a stream brought through the piggery ; and 
undoubtedly, when this can be managed, it answers better than 
any .thing else. Swine are dirty feeders, and dirty drinkers, 
usually plunging their fore-feet into the trough or pail, and thus 
polluting with mud and dirt whatever may be given to them. One 
of the advantages, therefore, derivable from the stream of running 
water being brought through the fold is, its being, by its run- 
ning, kept constantly clean and wholesome. If, therefore, you 
are unable to procure this advantage, it will be desirable to present 
water in vessels of a size to receive but one head at a time, and of 
such height as to render it impossible, or difficult, for the drinker 
to get his feet into it. The water should be renewed twice daily. 

I have hitherto been describing a piggery capable of contain- 
ing a large number ; a greater proportional profit will be realized 
by keeping a number of swine than a few. It may happen, 
however, that want of capital, or of inclination to embark in 
swine-feeding as an actual speculation, may induce many to 
prefer keeping a small number of pigs, or even perhaps one or two, 
in which case such accommodations as I have been describing 
would be more than superfluous. In this case, a single hut, well 
sheltered from wind and rain, and built with a due regard to com- 
fort, to warmth, with a little court surrounding its door, in which 
the tenant may feed, obey the calls of nature, and disport himself, 
or bask in the sunshine, will be found to answer ; a small stone 
trough, or a wooden one, bound with iron, to preserve it from 
being gnawed to pieces, will complete the necessary furniture. The 
trough will serve alternately for food and drink. Even, however, 
when this limited accommodation is resorted to, a strict attention 
to cleanliness is no less necessary than when operations are carried 
on, on the most extensive scale. Both the floor of the hut and 
that of the little court should be paved, and should' incline out- 
wards ; along the lowest side should be a drain, with a sufficient 
declination, and so contrived as to communicate with your dung- 
tank. The farther the manure-heap, or tank, from the dwelling, 
the better : vegetable matter, in progress of decomposition, gives 
rise to pestilential vapors, or miasmata. 



33 

When the weather is fine, a few hours' liberty will serve the 
health and the condition of your hog, and a little grazing would 
be all the better. Should you be desirous of breeding, and keep 
a sow for that purpose, you must, if you have a second hog, pro- 
vide a second sty, for the sow will require a separate apartment 
when heavy in pig, and when giving suck. This may be easily 
effected by building it against that which you have already erected, 
thus saving the trouble of raising more walls than are absolutely 
necessary ; and it need not have a court attached it, should it bo 
inconvenient for you to have one, as the best accommodation can 
be given up to the breeding sow, and your pigs will do well enough 
with a single apartment, if not too confined, and have sufficient 
ventilation ; and if you permit them the advantage of taking the 
air for a few . hours daily. The extensive feeder should have a 
boiler of large size, properly fitted up, and an apparatus for steam- 
ing, as some vegetables are cooked in this mode more advan- 
tageously than by boiling. The poor man can use a pot as a sub- 
stitute for a boiler, remembering in every case to clean it before 
using. Food should be presented to swine in a warm state — 
neither too hot nor too cold. 

A sty should be about seven or eight feet square, and the 
court about ten feet. The second sty need not be more than six 
feet square, and does not absolutely require a court. 



CHAPTER VII. 

BREEDING, REARING, AND FEEDING. 

In the selection of a boar and sow for breeding, much more atten- 
tion and consideration are necessary than people generally imagine. 
It is as easy, with a very little judgment and management, to 
procure a good as an inferior breed ; and the former is infinitely 
more remunerative, in proportion to outlay, than the latter can 
possibly ever be. 

In selecting the parents of your future stock, you must bear in 
mind the precise objects you may have in view, whether the 
rearing for pork, or bacon ; and whether you desire to meet the 
earliest market, and thus realize a certain profit, with the least 
.possible outlay of money, or loss of time ; or whether you mean 
2* 



3-i 

• :tit a ].-■■■ . what protracted 

return. 

If bacon, and I ct you will do well 

■ s ge and heavy s _ care that the 

has the charact \ ssess f thos lalities i 51 likely 

a heavy return, viz : growth, and J _ I 

5S ss :i. To that description I ref r my i 

pork, you will find your account in 
s nailer varii ties ; s h as arrive _ ?t rapidity at ma- 

turity, and which are like! I the mosl I sh. In 

t, it is not advisable that it should be too fat. without 
tiding proportion of lean : and. on this account, rather 
take a ss- - w than a pure Chii - -took, from which the 

over-fatl g results I s1 naturally be . The 

Berks! eros: < ;e, is - >rker lean 

In every case, whether \ . the points 

.'land 

chest, round ril 5, = , a haunch, falling almost 

' • I loin, ample hips, and considerable 

11 diould 

pi in view, and, perhaps, - the first point to 

ted, viz.: small 'iiess of b 
Let the Boar be less s I ' sow, s and more 

. with a raised and brawny neck, . small 

. firm, hard flesh, and his neck well furnished with bristl -. — 
in other res] ts. k for the s ts as 1 '-scribed in 

sow. Br _ ■ ithin too - 2 - ■■? con- 

_ inity, or, ; , is ulated to produced 

also 1 : fertility : it is ther< I 

lers maintain that a first crosi 

no harm, but, on the contrary, that it produe - - g which are 

ive earlier at maturity, and take fat with greater 

facility. This may in some insl - se ; it is so with 

tie, lit as far as , it is not my own 

ise age r and 

. r which bi _ 3 51 ■ will, if pen 

- : ; is . prac- 

-. :•> let the - 
.:r. at least, eighteen months ; but, 



35 

if the former have attained her second year, and the latter his 
third, a vigorous and numerous offspring are more likely to result. 
The boar and sow retain their ability to breed for about five years, 
that is, until the former is upwards of eight years old, and the 
latter seven. I do not recommend using a boar after he has passed 
his fifth year, nor a sow after she has passed her fourth, unless she 
have prove proved a peculiarly valuable breeder ; in which case, 
she might be suffered to produce two or three more litters. When 
you are done with the services of the boar, have him emasculated 
— an operation that can be performed with perfect safety at any 
age, — fatten or sell him. When it is no longer desirable to breed 
from the sow, kill her. Before doing so, it is a good plan to put 
her to the boar, as she takes fat afterwards more rapidly than she 
otherwise would. 

If a sow be of a stock characterized by an unusual tendency to 
take fat, it is well to breed from her at an unusually early age, — 
say eight or nine months ; for this tendency to fat, in a breeding 
sow, is highly objectionable, as conducing to danger in parturition. 
Let her have the boar a couple of days after pigging, and let her 
breed as frequently as she is capable of doing. This will effectually 
check the tendency to fat ; and, after having taken a few litters 
from her, you will find the rapidity with which, should you desire 
iier for the butcher, she will take flesh, quite extraordinary. In 
the case of such a sow, do not give the boar before putting her up 
to fatten. 

Feed the breeding boar well ; keep him in high condition, but 
not fat : the sow, on the other hand, should be kept somewhat 
low, until after conception, when the quantity and quality of her 
food should be gradually increased. The best times for breeding 
swine are, the months of March, and July or August. A litter 
obtained later than August has much to contend with, and seldom 
proves profitable ; some, indeed, state that when such an occur- 
rence does take place, whether from accident or neglect, the litter 
is not worth keeping. It is little use, however, to throw any thing 
away. Should the reader at any time have a late litter, let him 
leave them with the sow ; feed both her and them with warm and 
stimulating food, and he will thus have excellent pork, with which 
to meet the market, when that article is at once scarce and dear, 
and consequently profitable. By following this system of manage- 
ment, he will not only turn his late fitter to account, but actually 



ot> HOGS. 

realize almost as good a profit as if it bad been produced at a more 
favorable season. 

The period of gestation in the sow varies ; the most usual period 
during which she carries her young, is four lunar months, or six- 
teen weeks, or about one hundred and thirteen days. M. Teissier, 
of Paris, a gentleman who paid much attention to this subject, in 
connexion not merely with swine, hut other animals, states that it 
varies from one hundred and nine to one hundred and forty-three 
days; he formed his calculation from the attentive observation of 
twenty-five sows. 

The sow produces from eight to thirteen young ones at a litter, 
sometimes even more. Extraordinary fecundity, is, however, not 
desirable, for a sow cannot give nourishment to more young than 
she has teats tor, and, as the number of teats is twelve, when a 
thirteenth one is littered, he does not fare very well. The sufferer 
on these occasions is of course the smallest and weakest; a too 
numerous litter are all indeed generally undersized and weakly, 
and seldom or never prove profitable; a litter not exceeding ten 
will, usually, be found to turn out most advantageously. On ac- 
count of the discrepancy subsisting between the number farrowed 
by different sows, it is a good plan, if it can be managed, to have 
more than one breeding at the same time, in order that you may 
equalize the number to be suckled by each. The sow seldom 
recognizes the presence of a strange little one, if it have been in- 
troduced among the others during her absence, and have lain for 
half an hour or so amongst her own offspring in their sty. 

While the sow is carrying her young, feed her abundantly, and 
increase the quantity until parturition approaches within a week 
or so, when it is as w T ell to diminish both the quantity and 
quality. AVhile she is giving suck you cannot feed too well. You 
may wean the young at eight weeks old, and should remove them 
for that purpose from the sow ; feed them well, frequently, abun- 
dantly, but not to leaving, and on moist, nutritions food, and pay 
particular attention to their lodgment — a warm, dry, comfortable 
bed is of fully as much consequence as feeding, if not even of 
Should the sow exhibit any tendency to devour her 
young, or should she have clone so on a former occasion, strap up 
her mouth for the first three or four days, only releasing it to ad- 
mit of her taking her meals. Some sows are apt to lie upon, and 
crush their young. This may be best avoided by not keeping the 
sow too fat or heavy, and by not leaving too many young upon 



37 

her. Let the straw forming the bed also be short, and not in too 
great quantity, lest the pigs get huddled up under it, and the sow 
unconsciously over-lie them in that condition. 

The young pigs should be gradually fed before permanently 
weaning them ; and for first food, nothing is so good as milk, 
which may be succeeded by ordinary dairy wash, thickened with 
oat or barley meal, or fine pollard ; this is better scalded, or, better 
still, boiled. To the sow, some dry food should be given once 
daily, which might consist of peas, beans, Swedish turnips, car- 
rots, parsnips, or the like, either well boiled, or raw ; but I prefer 
the food to be always boiled, or, what is still better, steamed. Some 
wean the pigs within a few hours after birth, and turn the sow at 
once to the boar. Under certain circumstances, this may be 
found advantageous ; but I think that the best mode of manage- 
ment is to turn the boar into the hog-yard, about a week after 
parturition, at which time it is proper to remove the sows for a 
few hours daily from their young, and let them accept his over- 
tures when they please. It does not injure either the sow or her 
young if she take the boar while suckling, but some sows will not 
do so until the drying of their milk. 

Castration and Spaying should be only performed on such 
as you intend to keep, as you do not know what a purchaser's 
wishes on the subject might be. It is, of course, unnecessary for 
me to give any directions as to the mode of performing this ope- 
ration, as no amateur should attempt it, and men who make the 
practice their means of livelihood, are, in every district, not diffi- 
cult to be got at, or exorbitant in their terms. The sow is, if de- 
sirable, to be spayed while suckling ; the boar, as I have already 
stated, may be castrated at any age with perfect safety. 

At weaning time, Ring the young pigs. This operation must 
be a painful one, but scarcely so much so as the little sufferers 
would seem to indicate. Ringing is, however, absolutely neces- 
sary, unless the cartilage of the nose be cut away, a practice re- 
sorted to in substitution for it in some parts of England ; the lat- 
ter practice is, however, far more cruel than ringing, and its 
efficacy is by many stated to be at the best questionable. 

After about five weeks' high and careful feeding subsequent to 
weaning, the young pigs may be put up for stores, porkers, <fcc, 
according to your views' respecting them. Very young pigs, im- 
mediately after being weaned, if fed on the refuse of a dairy, will 
be brought up for delicious pork in five or six weeks ; for the last 



38 HOGS. 

week, prior to killing, the addition of grains or bruised corn will 
impart a degree of firmness to the flesh, that is considered an im- 
provement. This is called " dairy-fed pork," and it never fails to 
fetch an enhanced price, thereby amply remunerating its producer. 

Hogs designed for pork should not be fattened to the same 
extent as those designed for bacon. I am aware that it will be 
vain for me to request the reader not to do so, as fat produces 
weight — weight, profit — and profit is the object of the feeder. But 
to those who feed for domestic consumption, I urge the sugges- 
tion, and they will find their account in following it. Porkers 
should be suffered to run at large. Grazing, or the run of a wood 
in which roots or nuts may be met with, is calculated in an emi- 
nent degree to improve the quality of their flesh. It will be ne- 
cessary to give the hogs regular meals, independent of what they 
can thus cater for themselves ; and the hours for so doing should 
be in the morning, before they are let out, and hi the evening, 
before they are returned to their sty. Too many swine should not 
be kept in one sty ; and if one become an object of persecution 
to the rest, he should be withdrawn. The introduction of strangers 
should likewise be avoided. 

Bacon hogs fatten best by themselves ; they need no liberty ; 
and it is only necessary to keep the sty dry and clean, and to feed 
abundantly, in order to prepare them for the knife. In order to 
fatten a hog, his comforts must in every respect be attended to. 

Those who make pork-feeding a business, and consequently keep 
a number of these animals, should so manage as to be enabled to 
provide for their maintenance and fattening from the produce of 
their crops. They should therefore raise the potato, beans, peas, 
barley, buckwheat, flax, parsnips, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, Lu- 
cerne, Italian rye-grass, clover, rape, chicory, and vetches. Nor 
are we to forget the important articles, mangold and Swedish tur- 
nips ; the latter especially, as being an article that sad necessity 
has recently, for the first time, brought into the full degree of no- 
tice it has always deserved ; — and an article that is now found to 
be no less valuable for human food than it is admitted to be for 
the food of cattle. 

The best possible mode of feeding hogs is with a mixture of two 
or more of the roots or plants enumerated, well steamed, and a lit- 
tle meal or bran added, or, instead of meal or bran, add brewer's 
grains, wash, half malted barley, pollard, <fcc, — let these be well- 
boiled and given moderately cool, and in a moist state. 



39 

The advantages derivable from the use of hay-tea in storefeed- 
ing hogs was, I think, for the first time demonstrated to the pub- 
lic, some years ago, by Mr. Saunders, of Stroud, in Gloucester- 
shire. Mr. Saunders was induced to try this diet with hogs, from 
an observation of its efficacy in weaning calves ; his experiments 
were attended with the most unqualified success. 

The use of flax-seed, as an addition to the other food for fatten- 
ing swine, has been recommended, but is found not to answer 
nearly so well in the crude state as previously kiln-dried, and well 
crushed, so as to crack the seed, otherwise the animal will pass a 
large proportion of the seed in a whole state ; the whole seed acts 
as a purgative and diuretic, which will be opposed to the secretion 
of fat. To prepare the seed for food, steep them for twelve hours 
in water, which may be poured on them in a tepid state, but not 
at boiling heat ; and, prior to giving the mess, add as much luke- 
warm wash as will bring it to the consistence of gruel. This wash 
may be produced from brewer's grains, or simply from mangold 
or Swedish turnips, well boiled and mashed, and given with the 
water in which they have been boiled : the addition of a propor- 
tion of bran improves the mess, and when one has it, it should 
not be omitted. 

The adoption of hay-tea as the vehicle for mixing these ingre- 
dients, will be found also advantageous. Do not boil the flax seed 
— boiling will produce a coarse, tough and not very digestible 
mass ; but steeping, on the contrary, furnishes a rich and nutri- 
tious jelly. Linseed cake is a good substitute for the seed, and is 
to be given in a proportion of fourteen pounds, for seventeen or 
eighteen pounds of ground seed. Neither should be given, ex- 
cept hi combination with a large proportion of other substances, 
as they are of a very greasy nature, and are apt to impart a rank 
flavor to flesh, if given in an unmixed state, and are actually more 
efficacious in combination. If you have plenty of meal, the ad- 
dition of a little to the daily feeds, will be found to tell well, espe- 
cially towards the close of fattening, a few weeks previous to 
transferring your stock to the butcher. 

The refuse of mills form a very valuable item in swine food, 
when mixed with such boiled roots as I have enumerated ; — as 
starch sounds, the refuse from the manufacture of that article ; also 
the fibrous refuse remaining from the manufacture of potato starch. 

Swine are frequently kept by butchers, and are then fed princi- 
pally upon the garbage of the shambles, — as entrails, the paunch- 



40 HOGS. 

os, lights, and the viscera of sheep and cattle, as well as the blood. 
Swine are, like their human owners, omnivorous, and few articles 
come amiss to them. It must, nevertheless, be confessed, that the 
flesh of hogs fed on animal food is rank both in smell and taste, 
and readily distinguishable from that produced from a vegetable 
diet. I am not unnecessarily prejudiced, and it is on the merits of 
the case alone that I condemn butcher-fed pork. Pork butchers, 
resident in large towns, are very apt to feed chiefly on offal of all 
sorts, including that arising from the hogs daily slain and dressed 
for the market. 

There is yet another description of feeding : I allude to the 
feeding of swine in knackers' yards. The animals are kept in con- 
siderable numbers, and are fed wholly upon the refuse of dead 
horses — chiefly the entrails, the carcass being in too great demand 
among those who keep dogs, to permit of it being unnecessarily 
wasted. Nor are these horses always fresh, the swine revelling in 
corruption, and disputing with the maggot the possession of a mass 
of liquid putrefaction. And are we to say nothing of the number 
of horses who die of glanders, farcy, or some similarly frightfully 
contagious and incurable disorder ? How can we be certain that 
this is not one of the many sources whence occasionally spring ap- 
parently causeless pestilences, or malignant epidemics? While 
such a practice is tolerated, with what caution should we not pur- 
chase bacon or pork, lest we should thus eat at second-hand of sub- 
stances so revolting to the feelings, so dangerous to individual and 
public health. 

Chandler's Greaves are likewise objectionable as food for 
swine, unless given in comparatively small quantities, and mixed 
with bran, meal, and boiled roots. If fed wholly on either greaves, 
or oil-cake, or flax-seed, the flesh becomes loose, unsubstantial, and 
carriony ; and gives out a flavor resembling that of rancid oil. 

Hogs that have been fed chiefly on corn, alternated with the ve- 
getable diet already described, produce pork nearly equal in deli- 
cacy of flavor, whiteness of color, and consequent value, to that 
well-known, delicious article, dairy pork. Indian Corn is most 
useful in feeding and in fattening pigs ; it should be employed in 
conjunction with oat or barley meal, or some other equally nutri- 
tious matter. 

Respecting the quality of food, vast numbers of bacon hogs are 
almost invariably fed upon potatoes ; but however appaiently sat- 
isfactory may be their weight, and condition, yet when slaughtered 



BREEDING, REARING AND FEEDING. 41 



immediately, or before having several weeks of substantial food, to 
harden their flesh, they are always found inferior to corn-fed pork 
and bacon, the fat having a tallowy appearance, of an insipid taste, 
and shrinking for want of firmness; whereas, when boiled, it 
should be transparently hard, with a tinge of pink in its color, the 
flavor should be good, and the meat should swell in the pot. Po- 
tatoes, therefore, though fine food for stores, should never be used 
alone as sustenance in the fatting of bacon hogs ; for, in proportion 
to the quantity employed, it will render the flesh, and consequent- 
ly the price, inferior to that of hogs which have been properly fed. 
Ihey are, however, frequently employed, when steamed, in con- 
jimction with either tail, or stained barley, coarsely ground ; and 
farmers who grow potatoes for the market may thus profitably dis- 
pose of the chats along with their unmarketable corn : but those 
persons who wish to acquire a reputation for producing fine ba- 
con, should never use anything for fatting but hard meat, together 
with skim-milk, if it can be procured. 

When swine are not of very large size, and it is desirable to 
raise pork rather than bacon, a very economical mode of feeding 
may be advantageously employed : — it consists of equal parts of 
boiled Swedish turnips and bran. If it be desirable to render the 
accumulation of fat more rapid, let Indian meal be substituted for 
the bran, and, in flax-growing countries, the seed prepared as al- 
ready directed. 

A hog WASHED WEEKLY WITH SOAP AND A BRUSH will be found 

to thrive, and put up flesh in a ratio of at least five to three, in 
comparison to a pig not so treated. This fact has been well tried, 
there can be no possible question about its correctness, and the 
duty is not a very difficult matter to perform, for the swine, as 
soon as they discover the real character of the operation, are far 
from being disposed to object, and after a couple of washings, 
submit with the best grace imaginable. 

Beware not to Surfeit your hogs. It is quite possible to give 
too much even to them, and to produce disease by over-feeding. 

Many examples of great weights, produced by judicious feeding 
and management, are upon record. Mr. Crockford's Suffolk hog, 
at two years old, weighed 980 lbs. ; but I scarcely think it could 
have been true Suffolk, that being a small breed. Mr. Ivory's 
Shropshire hog weighed fourteen hundred, when killed and dressed, 
and there was, a short time since, a specimen of the improved Irish 
breed of hog exhibited in Dublin, at the Portobello Gardens, which 



42 HOGS. 

weighed upwards of twelve hundred weight; this, when killed, 
would have amounted to something over half a ton. 

In conclusion, observe caution in conjunction with the directions 
already given relative to feeding. 

I. Avoid foul feeding. 

II. Do not omit adding salt in moderate quantities to the 
mess given : you will find your account in attending to this. 

III. Feed at regular intervals. 

IV. Cleanse the troughs previous to feeding. 

V. Do not over-feed ; give only as much as will be consumed 
at the meal. 

VI. Vary your bill of fare. Variety will create, or, at all 
events, increase appetite, and it is further most conducive to health ; 
let your variations be guided by the state of the dung cast : this 
should be of medium consistence, and of a greyish-brown color ; 
if hard, increase the quantity of bran and succulent roots ; if too 
liquid, diminish, or dispense with bran, and let the mess be firm- 
er ; if you can, add a portion of corn, that which is injured, and 
thus rendered unfit for other purposes, will be found to answer 
well. 

VII. Feed your stock separately, in classes, according to 
their relative conditions ; keep sows in young by themselves ; 
stores by themselves ; and bacon hogs and porkers by themselves. 
It is not advisable to keep your stores too high in flesh, for high 
feeding is calculated to retard development of form and bulk. It 
is better to feed pigs intended to be put up for bacon, loosely, and 
not too abundantly, until they have attained their full stature ; 
you can then bring them into the highest possible condition in an 
inconceivably short space of time. 

VIII. Do NOT REGRET THE LOSS OR SCARCITY OF POTATOES SO 

far as swine-feeding is concerned. Its loss has been the means of 
stimulating inquiry and producing experiment, which has resulted 
in the discovery that many other superior vegetables have been hi- 
therto neglected and foolishly passed aside. 

IX. Do NOT NEGLECT TO KEEP YOUR SWINE CLEAN, DRY, AND 

warm. These are essentials, and not a whit less imperative than 
feeding, for an inferior description of food will, by their aid, suc- 
ceed far better than the highest feeding will without them ; and 
suffer me to reiterate the benefit derivable from ivashing your hogs ; 
this will repay your trouble manyfold. 

X. Watch the markets. — Sell when you see a reasonable 






TIME KEQUISITE FOR FEEDING FAT, ETC. 



43 



profit before you. Many and many a man has swamped himself 
by giving way to covetousness, and by desiring to realize an un- 
usual amount of gain : recollect how very fluctuating are the mar- 
kets, and that a certain gain is far better than the risk of loss. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



TIME REQUISITE FOR FEEDING FAT QUANTITY OF FOOD AND 

PROPORTIONATE INCREASE OF WEIGHT IN A GIVEN TIME. 

This will, of course, vary very considerably, according to the 
weight, age, breed, and condition of the store when first put up, as 
well as the description of food on which, up to that period, the 
animal has been fed. The same observations are applicable to the 
quantity of food required for the production of fat. 

If a young store, five or six weeks may be sufficient ; if older, 
six or eight ; and if of the mature age, intended for a perfect 
bacon hog, of that moderate degree of size and fatness which is 
preferred for the general consumption of the middle classes, from 
twelve to fourteen. A bacon hog, if intended to be thoroughly 
fattened for farm use, should, however, be of a large breed, and 
brought to such a state as not to be able to rise without difficulty, 
and will, perhaps, require five or six months, or even more, to 
bring him to that condition. This, however, supposes him to be 
completely fat ; to ascertain which with perfect accuracy, he ought 
to be weighed every week during the latter part of the process ; 
for although his appetite will gradually fall off as he increases in 
fat, yet the flesh which he will acquire will also diminish, until at 
last it will not pay for his food, and he should then be immediately 
slaughtered. Thus the increase of flesh in a hog put up to be fat- 
tened, and regularly weighed, was, on the following dates : — 





stone. 


lbs. 




Oct. 10 


36 


7 


v. 


24 


41 


5 


. 38 lbs. gain. 


Nov. 7 


45 


7 


. 34 do. 


21 


47 


2 


. 11 do. 


Dec. 5 


48 


7 


. 13 do. 


22 


48 


6 


1 lb. loss. 



44 HOGS. 

CHAPTER IX. 

DISEASES OF SWINE. 

In order to prescribe, with any reasonable hopes of success, for 
any animal, a knowledge of that animal's anatomy, physiology, 
and habits when in health, are indispensable, and an intimate ac- 
quaintance with the characters of the substances employed as re- 
medies. I would not recommend you to place much confidence in 
books published by quacks, and purporting to contain infallible 
specifics for the several diseases to which live stock are liable. 
Veterinary text-books, written by competent persons, are very dif- 
ferent things. A host of honorable names stand upon record, on 
the face of their publications, in proof of the correctness of my 
assertion. By diligent study of these books, farmers might, I have 
little doubt, eventually arrive at a very respectable share of veteri- 
nary knowledge ; acquire a tolerable idea of the internal structure 
of the several inhabitants of the farm-yard, and of their physiolo- 
gy ; by practical observation they would become able to detect the 
presence of disease from the symptoms present, and be then able 
to adopt a course of treatment as might be suggested in the books 
they possessed. Under these circumstances, apply, if possible, to 
a regular veterinary surgeon. 

Swine are by no means the most tractable of patients. It is 
anything but an easy matter to compel them to swallow anything 
to which their appetite does not incite them, and hence, ' pre- 
vention' will be found ' better than cure.' Cleanliness is, 
in my opinion, the great point to be insisted upon in swine man- 
agement ; if this, and warmth, be duly attended to, the animal 
will not, save in one case, perhaps in a hundred, become affected 
with any ailment. 

As, however, even under the most careful system of manage- 
ment, an occasional disappointment may occur, the reader is fur- 
nished with the following brief view of the principal complaints, 
by which some are, under the most unfavorable circumstances, liable 
to be attacked, and the plainest effectual mode of sanatory treat- 
ment, in such cases, to be adopted. 

The principal diseases to which swine are liable are : — 1, Fever; 
2, Leprosy ; 3, Murrain ; 4, Measles ; 5, Jaundice ; 6, Foul skin ; 
7, Mange; 8, Staggers; 9, Cracklings ; 1 0, " Ratille," or swelling 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 45 

of the spleen; 11, Indigestion, or Surfeit; 12, Lethargy; 13, 
Heavings ; 14, " Diarrhoea ;" 15, Quinsy ; 16, Tumors ; 17, 
Catarrh. 

All which dangerous, and often fatal, maladies may be pre- 
vented from occurring by the simple attention to cleanliness al- 
ready recommended, with judicious feeding. A hog can be reliev- 
ed by bleeding, when such an operation will effect relief, whether 
he like to submit or not ; but it is very questionable whether he 
. can be compelled to swallow medicines without his perfect consent 
j and concurrence ; these, therefore, will best be administered by 
.stratagem, and the hog's ajjpetite is the only assailable point he 
has. 

. I. Fever. — The symptoms are, redness of the eyes, dryness and 
heat of the nostrils, the lips, and the skin generally; appetite gone, 
-or very defective, and the presence, usually, of a very violent 
h thirst. Of course, no symptom can be regarded as individually 
indicative of the presence of any particular disease ; these, which I 
have named, might, individually, indicate the presence of many 
..other disorders, nay, of no disorder at all, but collectively, they 
spoint to the presence of fever as their origin. 
( Let the animal, as soon as possible after the appearance of these 
gymptoms, be bled, by cutting the veins at the back of his ears. 
JThe pressure of the finger raises the vein, and you can then punc- 
ture it with a lancet. If the bleeding from this channel be not 
sufficiently copious, you must cut off a portion of his tail ; and 
after bleeding let him be warmly housed, but, at the same time, 
iwhile protected from cold and draughts, let the sty be well and 
thoroughly ventilated, and its inmate supplied with a constant suc- 
cession of fresh air. The bleeding will usually be followed, in an 
[hour or two, by such a return of appetite as to induce the animal 
to eat a sufficient quantity of food to admit of your making it the 
vehicle for administering such internal remedies as may seem ad- 
ijrisable. The best vehicle is bread, steeped in broth. The hog, 
[aowever, sinks so rapidly, when once he loses his appetite, that no 
Jepletive medicines are in general necessary or suitable ; the fever 
;vill usually be found to yield to the bleeding, and your only ob- 
1 ect need be the support of the animal's strength, by small portions 
)f nourishing food, administered frequently. 

Do not, however, at any time suffer your patient to eat as much 
is his inclination might prompt ; the moment he appears to be no 
onger ravenous, remove the mess, and do not offer it again until 



46 HOGS. 

after a lapse of from three to four hours. It is a singular fact, that 
as the hog surpasses every other animal in the facility with which 
he acquires fat, he likewise surpasses all others in the rapidity with 
which his strength becomes prostrated when once his appetite de- 
serts him. The French veterinarian practice recommends the ad- 
dition of peppermint to the bread and broth. If the animal be 
not disgusted by the smell, it may be added ; and if the bowels 
be confined, the addition of castor and linseed oil, in equal quanti- 
ties, and in the proportion of two to six ounces, according to the 
size of the hog, should not be omitted. 

If you find yourself unable to restore the animal's appetite, the 
case is nearly hopeless, and you may regard its return as one of 
the most infallible symptoms of returning convalescence. It is, 
however, possible to administer medicine to the pig by force ; al- 
though, for my own part, I cannot say that I have ever found it 
practicable. 

There is a description of fever that frequently occurs as an 
epizootic. It often attacks the male pigs, and generally the most 
vigorous and the best-looking, without any distinction of age, and 
with a force and promptitude absolutely astonishing ;_ for in the 
space of twelve hours, I have sometimes seen a whole piggery suc- 
cumb : at other times its progress is much slower ; the symptoms 
are less intense and less alarming ; and the veterinary surgeon, 
employed at the commencement of the attack, may promise him- 
self some success. 

The Causes of the Disease are, in the majority of cases, the 
bad sties in which the pigs are lodged, and the noisome food which 
they often contain. The food which the pigs meet with and devour 
are the remains of mouldy bread and fruit, especially those of peas 
and lentils— the fermentation and decomposition oi which farina- 
ceous substances, and especially the bran which is too frequently 
given to them, and the prolonged action of which determine the 
most serious in the whole economy. In addition to this, is the 
constant lying on the dung heap, whence is exhaled a vast quantity 
of deleterious gas ; also, where they remain far too long, on the 
muddy or arid ground, or are too long exposed to the rigor of the 
season. 

As soon as a pig is attacked with disease, he should be sepa- 
rated from the others, placed in a warm situation, some stimulat- 
ing ointment be applied to the chest, and a decoction of sorrel 
administered. Frictions of vinegar should be applied to the dorsal 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 47 

1 and lumbar region. The drinks should be emollient, slightly imbued 
L with nitre and vinegar, and with aromatic fumigation about the 
[ belly. If the fever now appears to be losing ground, which may 
' be ascertained by the regularity of the pulse, by the absence of 

the plaintive cries that were before heard, by a respiration less 
j laborious, by the absence of convulsions, and by the non-appear- 
j ance of blotches on the skin, there is a fair chance of recovery. 
; We may then be content to administer, every second hour, the 
J drinks and the lavements already prescribed, and to give the patient 
J his proper allowance of white water, with ground barley and rye. 
} < When, however, instead of these fortunate results, the symptoms 

are redoubling in intensity, it will be best to destroy the animal ; 
;for it is rare that, after a certain period, there is much or any 
'* chance of recovery. Bleeding, practised at the ear or tail, is seldom 
V much avail, but occasionally produces considerable loss of vital 
i power, and augments the putrid diathesis. 

II. Leprosy. — The symptoms of this complaint usually com- 
mence with the formation of a small tumor in the eye, followed by 

jgeneral prostration of spirits ; the head is held down ; the whole 
iframe inclines towards the ground : universal languor succeeds ; 
jthe animal refuses food, languishes, and rapidly falls away in flesh ; 
■listers soon make their appearance beneath the tongue, then upon 
jthe throat, the jaws, the head, and the entire body. The flesh of 
]a leprous pig is said to possess most pernicious qualities, and to be 
wholly unfit for human food. If the animal be killed in the very 
]first stage of the disease, however, the affection is only superficial, 
'the flesh nothing the worse, but rather improved in tenderness, 
Wd indeed, not to be distinguished from that of a perfectly sound 
'animal. The cause of this disease is want of cleanliness, absence 
jof fresh air, want of due attention to ventilation, and foul feeding. 
<]The obvious cure therefore is — first, bleed ; clean out the sty daily ; 
'Wash the affected animal thoroughly with soap and water, to which 
soda or potash has been added ; supply him with a clean bed ; 
[keep him dry and comfortable ; let him have gentle exercise and 
'plenty of fresh air ; limit the quantity of his food, and dimmish its 
irankness ; give bran with wash, in which you may add, for an 
peraged sized hog, say one of 160lbs. weight, a tablespoon full of 
jthe flour of sulphur, with as much nitre as will cover a sixpence, 
daily. A few grains of powdered antimony may also be given 
with effect. 

III. Murrain. — Resembles leprosy in its symptoms, with the 



48 HOGS. 

addition of staggering, shortness of breath, discharge of viscid 
matter from the eyes and mouth. The treatment should consist 
of cleanliness, coolness, bleeding, purging, and limitation of food. 
Cloves of garlic have been recommended to be administered in 
cases of murrain. Garlic is an antiseptic, and as, in all those febrile 
diseases, there exists a more or less degree of disposition to putre- 
faction, it is not improbable that it may be found useful. 

IV. Measles. — This is one of the most common diseases to 
which hogs are liable. The symptoms are, redness of the eyes, 
foulness of the skin, depression of spirits, decline, or total departure 
of the appetite, small pustules about the throat, and red and purple 
eruptions on the skin. These last are more plainly visible after 
death, when they impart a peculiar appearance to the grain of the 
meat, with fading of its color, and distension of the fibre so as to 
give an appearance similar to that which might be produced by 
puncturing the flesh. 

Suffer the animal to fast, in the first instance, for twenty-four 
hours, and then administer a warm drink, containing a drachm of 
carbonate of soda, and an ounce of bole armenian ; wash the animal, 
cleanse the sty, and change the bedding ; give at every feeding, 
say thrice a day, thirty grains of flour of sulphur, and ten of nitre. 
It is to dirt, combined with a common fault, too little thought of, 
viz. giving the steamed food or wash to the hogs at too high a 
temperature, that this disease is generally to be attributed. It is 
a troublesome malady to eradicate, but usually yields to treatment, 
and is rarely fatal. 

V. Jaundice. — Symptoms, yellowness of the white of the eye, 
a similar hue extending to the lips, with sometimes, but not inva- 
riably, swelling of the under part of the jaw. Bleed behind the 
ear, diminish the quantity of food, and give a smart aperient every 
second day. Aloes are, perhaps, the best, combined with colocynth ; 
the dose will vary with the size of the animal. 

VI. Foul Skin. — A simple irritability or foulness of skin will 
usually yield to cleanliness, and a washing with solution of chloride 
of lime, but if it have been neglected for any length of time, it 
assumes a malignant character, scabs and blotches, or red and fiery 
eruptions appear, and the disease rapidly passes into 

VII. Mange. — If the foul hide, already described, had been 
properly attended to, and the remedies necessary for its removal 
applied in sufficient time, this very troublesome disorder would not 
have supervened. Mange is supposed, by most medical men, to 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 49 

owe its existence to the presence of a minute insect, called "aearus 
scabiei" or " mange-fly," a minute creature, which burrows be- 
neath the cuticle, and, in its progress through the skin, occasions 
much irritation and annoyance. Others, again, do not conceive 
the affection styled mange to be thus produced, but refer it to a 
diseased state of the blood, which, as is usually the case, eventually 
conveys its morbid influences to the superficial tissues. Much has 
been, and still might be said on both sides of the question, but 
such a discussion is scarcely suitable to the pages of a popular 
work. The Symptoms of the disease are sufficiently well known, 
consisting of scabs, blotches, and sometimes multitudes of minute 
•pustules, on different parts of the body. If neglected, these symp- 
toms will become aggravated ; the disease will rapidly spread over 
the entire surface of the skin, and if suffered to proceed upon its 
course, unchecked, it will ere long produce deep-seated ulcers, and 
malignant sores, until the whole carcass of the poor affected animal 
becomes one mass of corruption. 

The Causes of Mange have been differently stated ; some re- 
ferring them to too high, and others to too low a diet. The cause 
is to be looked for in dirt, accompanied by hot-feeding ; hot-feeding 
alone would, perhaps, be more likely to produce tneasles than mange, 
but dirt would unquestionably produce the latter disease, even if 
unaided by the concomitant error of hot-feeding. 

Hogs, however well and properly kept, will occasionally become 
affected with this, as well as with other disorders, from contagion. 
Few diseases are more easily propagated by contact than mange. 
The introduction of a single affected pig into your establishment 
may, in one night, cause the seizure of scores, and, probably, fur- 
nish you with a three months' hospital experience. Do not, there- 
fore introduce any foul-skinned pigs into your piggery ; in fact, it 
would be a very safe proceeding, to wash every new purchase with 
a strong solution of chloride of lime. This substance is very cheap, 
and a little trouble, when applied as a preventive, is surely pre- 
ferable to a great deal of both trouble, and, perhaps, disappointment 
when you are compelled to resort to it to cure. 

If a hog be only afflicted with a mange of moderate virulence, 
and not of very long standing, the best mode of treatment to be 
adopted, is — 

1. "Wash the animal from snout to tail, leaving no portion of the 
body uncleansed, with soft soap and water. 

2. Put him into a dry and clean sty, which is so built and 
3 



50 HOGS. 

situated as to command a constant supply of fresh air, without, at 
the same time, being exposed to cold or draught ; let him have a 
bed of clean, fresh straw. 

3. Reduce his food, both in quality and in quantity ; let boiled 
or steamed roots, with buttermilk, or dairy wash, supply the place 
of half-fermented brewer's grains, house wash, or any other de- 
scription of feeding calculated to prove of a heating or inflamma- 
tory character. It is, of course, scarcely necessary to add, that 
those who have been feeding their swine on horseflesh, or chandler's 
greaves, cannot be surprised at the occurrence of the disease ; let 
them, at all events, desist from that rank and nasty mode of feed- 
ing, and turn to such as has been indicated. 

4. Let your patient fast for five or six hours, and then, give to a 
hog of average size — epsom salts, 2oz. in a warm bran wash. This 
quantity is, of course, to be increased or diminished, as the size may 
require. The above would suffice for a hog of 160lbs. It should 
be previously mixed with a pint of warm water. This should be 
added to about half a gallon of warm bran wash. It will act as 
a gentle purgative. 

5. Give in every meal afterwards — of flour of sulphur, one 
tablespoon ; of nitre, as much as will cover a sixpence, for from 
three days to a week, according to the state of the disease. When 
you perceive the scabs begin to heal, the pustules to retreat, and 
the fiery sores to fade, you may pronounce your patient cured. 
But before that pleasing result will make its appearance, you will 
perceive an apparent increase of violence in all the symptoms — 
the last effort of the expiring malady, as it were, ere it finally 
yields to your care and skill. 

6. There are, however, some very obstinate cases of mange oc- 
casionally to be met with, which will not so readily be subdued. 
When the above mode of treatment has been put in practice for 
fourteen days, without effecting a cure, prepare the following : 
Train oil, one pint ; oil of tar, two drachms ; spirits of turpentine, 
two drachms ; naphtha, one drachm ; with flour of sulphur, as 
much as will form the above into the consistence of a thick paste. 
Rub the animal, previously washed, with this mixture — let no por- 
tion of the hide escape you. Keep the hog dry and warm after 
this application, and suffer it to remain on his skin for three entire 
days. On the fourth day, wash him once more with soft soap, 
adding a small quantity of soda to the water. Dry the animal 
well afterwards, and suffer him to remain as he is, having again 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 51 

changed his bedding, for a day or so : continue the sulphur and 
nitre as before. I have never known any case of mange, however 
obstinate, that would not, sooner or later, give way before this 
mode of treatment. 

7. Your patient being convalescent, white-wash the sty ; fumi- 
gate it, by placing a little chloride of lime in a cup, or other ves- 
sel, and pouring a little vitriol upon it. In the absence of vitriol, 
however, boiling water will answer nearly as well. 

Finally, all mercurial applications are, as much as possible, to 
be avoided ; but, above every thing, avoid the use of ointments 
composed of hellebore, corrosive sublimate, or tobacco-water, or, 
in short, any poisonous ingredient whatever ; very few cures have 
ever been effected by the use of these so called remedies, but very 
many deaths have resulted from their adoption. 

VIII. Staggers, caused by excess of blood to the head ; bleed 
freely from behind the ears, and purge. 

IX. Crackings will sometimes appear on the skin of a hog, es- 
pecially about the root of the ears and tail, and at the flanks. 
These are not at all to be confounded with mange, never resulting 
from anything but exposure to extremes of temperature, without 
the suffering animal being able to avail himself of such protec- 
tions as, in a state of nature, instinct would have induced him to 
adopt. They are peculiarly troublesome in the heats of summer, 
if the hog be exposed to a hot sun for any length of time, with- 
out the advantage of a marsh or pool in which to lave his parched 
limbs and half scorched carcass. Anoint the cracked parts twice 
or thrice a day with tar and lard, well melted up together. 

X. Ratille, or Swelling of the Spleen. — The symptom 
most positively indicative of this disease, is the circumstance of the 
affected animal leaning towards one side, cringing, as it were, from 
internal pain, and bending towards the ground. The cause of the 
obstruction on which the disease depends is over-feeding, permit- 
ting the hog's indulging its appetite to the utmost extent that glut- 
tony may prompt, and the capacity of its stomach admit of; a 
very short perseverance in this mode of management will produce 
this, as well as other maladies, deriving their origin from a de- 
praved condition of the secretions and obstruction of the excretory 
ducts. 

On first perceiving the complaint, clear out the alimentary canal 
by means of a strong aperient. If you think you can manage it, 
you may administer this forcibly, by having the mouth kept open 



DISEASES OF SWINE. 53 

origin of this disease is the same as the last, only in this instance 
acting upon a hog having a natural tendency to a redundancy of 
blood. Bleed at the back of both the ears as copiously as you 
can, and if you cannot obtain a sufficient quantity of blood from 
these sources, have recourse to the tail. Administer an emetic, of 
which a decoction of chamomile flowers will be found the safest ; 
a sufficient dose of tartar emetic, which will be far more, certain. 
After this, reduce for a few days the amount of the animal's food, 
and administer a small portion of sulphur and nitre in each morn- 
ing's meal. 

XIII. Heavings, or inflammation of the lungs. — This disease, 
which has acquired its name from the principal symptom by 
which it is characterized, is scarcely to be regarded as curable. If, 
indeed, it were observed in its first stage, when indicated by loss 
of appetite, and a short, hard cough, it might run some chance of 
being got under by copious bleeding, and friction with stimulating 
ointment on the region of the lungs, minute and frequent doses of 
tartar emetic should also be given in butter, all food of a stimu- 
lating nature carefully avoided, and the animal kept dry and 
warm. Under these circumstances, there would be no reason ab- 
solutely to despair of a cure, but it would be advisable at the 
same time, if the hog, when this primary stage of the malady was 
discovered, were not in very poor condition, to put him' to death. 
If once the heavings set in, it may be calculated with confidence 
that the formation of tubercles in the substance of the lungs has 
begun, and when these are once formed, they are very rarely ab- 
sorbed. The cause of this disease is damp lodging, foul air, want 
of ventilation, and unwholesome food. It is difficult to suggest 
what should be done when matters have reached this pass, or what 
remedies would prove of any service. It is now too late in most 
cases to resort to blood-letting, and the hide of the hog is so tough 
that it is not easy to blister it, for the purpose of counter-irritation ; 
you may, however, try the following, though perhaps the knife 
might be best, if only to relieve the poor sufferer, and provide 
against the danger of infection ; for it may be as well to state, that 
once tubercular formation becomes established, the disease may be 
communicated through the medium of the atmosphere, the infec- 
tious influence depending upon the noxious particles respired 
from the lungs of the diseased animal. Shave the hair away 
from the chest, and beneath each fore-leg ; wet the part with spi- 
rits of turpentine, and set fire to it ; you will, of course, have had 



54 HOGS. 

the patient well secured, and his head well raised, and have at 
hand a flannel cloth, with which to extinguish the flame, when 
you conceive it has burned a sufficient time to produce slight blis- 
ters ; if carried too far, a sore would be formed, which would be 
productive of no good effects, and cause the poor animal unneces- 
sary suffering. Calomel may also be used, with a view to promote 
the absorption of the tubercles, but the success is questionable. 

XIV. Diarrhcea, or looseness. — The symptoms, of course, re- 
quire no comment, as they constitute the disease. Before attempt- 
ing to stop the discharge, which, if permitted to continue un- 
checked, would rapidly prostrate the animal's strength, and proba- 
bly terminate fatally, ascertain the quality of food the animal has 
recently had. In a majority of instances, you will find this to be 
the origin of the disease ; and if it has been perceived in its in- 
cipient stage, a mere change to a more binding diet, as corn, four, 
&c, will suffice for a cure ; if you have reason to apprehend that 
aridity is present, produced in all probability by the hog having 
fed upon coarse, rank grasses in swampy places, give some chalk 
in the food, or powdered egg-shells, with about half a drachm of 
powdered rhubarb ; the dose of course varying with the size of 
the hog. In the acorn season, and where facilities for obtaining 
them exist, they alone will be found quite sufficient to effect a 
cure. When laboring under this complaint, dry lodging is indis- 
pensable ; and diligence will be necessary to maintain it and clean- 
liness. 

XV. Quinsy, or an inflammatory affection of the glands of the 
throat. — Shave away the hair, and rub with tartar emetic oint- 
ment. Stuping with very warm water is also useful. When ex- 
ternal suppuration takes place, you may regard it as rather a fa- 
vorable symptom than otherwise. In this case, wait until the 
swellings are thoroughly ripe, then, with a sharp knife, make an 
incision through the entire length, press out the matter, wash with 
warm water, and afterwards dress the wound with any resinous 
ointment, or yellow soap with coarse brown sugar. 

XVI. Tumors, or hard swellings, which make their appearance 
on several different parts of the animal's body. It would not be 
easy to state the causes which give rise to these tumors, for they 
vary with circumstances. They are not formidable, and require 
only to be suffered to progress until they soften ; then make a free 
incision, and press out the matter. Sulphur and nitre should be 



SLAUGHTERING AND CURING. 55 

given in the food, as the appearance of these swellings, whatever 
be their cause, indicates the necessity of alterative medicines. 

XVII. Catarrh, an inflammation of the mucous membranes of 
the nose, &c, if taken in time, is easily cured by opening medi- 
cine, followed up by warm bran-mash, a warm, dry sty, and absti- 
nence from rich grains or stimulating farinaceous diet. The cause 
has probably been exposure to drafts of air — see to it. 

The instructions given comprise all that the amateur will ever 
find necessary for domestic practice, and far more than he will 
ever find occasion to follow, if he have attended to cleanliness, dry 
lodging, regularity of feeding, the use of salt in the food, and the 
addition of occasionally a small quantity of sulphur and nitre to 
the morning's meal. 



CHAPTER X. 

SLAUGHTERING AND CURING. 

The Almighty Creator, when he had formed man, and placed 
him upon the earth, gave him power of life and and death over 
all the inferior animals. This power was, however, given to him 
to be used, not to be abused ; while permitted to slay for food, 
clothing, or other necessaries, nay, luxuries of life, it was never de- 
signed by our all-benevolent as well as omnipotent Lord that this 
power should be converted into a medium of cruelty, or that life 
should be taken away from any of his creatures in any other than 
the most humane manner possible. The necessity of humanity 
towards animals thus stands as not only a high moral duty, but 
one absolutely enjoined as a divine ordinance ; it is also a part and 
parcel of all that is noble or excellent in human nature. 

It is a mistake to suppose that this poor animal is insensible to 
pain. The poor hog does indeed feel, and that most acutely ; 
well would it be for him that he did not, for then what miseries 
would he not be spared ! he would not then care whether he was 
put out of pain at once, or suffered to hang up by the hind legs, 
the limbs previously dislocated at the hocks, between the tendons 
and the bone of which has been passed the hook by which he is 
suspended. Were he indeed insensible to pain, it would of course 
be a matter of indifference whether or not he were suffered to die 



56 HOGS. 

first, or, as soon as he had bled a sufficient quantity — was 

and breathing, plunged into boiling water, in order to remove 
his hair : or then, with a refinement of cruelty that would not 
even permit of his being put out of his misery so soon, removed 
from the cauldron, ere life or feeling had yet departed, opened, and 

[ should be sorry to give pain to the feelings of any of my read- 

t I had rather hurt their feelings than leave a suffering, a 

tortured quadruped, and that, too, c s< ml to us, to experi- 

iful return, in the shape of such terrible and 

revolt;', Ies. [ have described nothing but what I have per- 

l, and I trust that what I have said may induce 

nduct of their slaugh- 
er in which they perform their necessary but 
painful dul . 

The usual mode ofMlling a hog in the country parts of England is, 
is, or v round the upper jaw. and 

throwi: ; - j »ist or beam; this is hauled by an assistant 

tight to compel the animal to support himself upon 
- toes, with his snout elevated in the air. The 
in front of him, and taking a sharp and pointed 
knife, first shaves away the hair from a small portion of the front 
of the throat, then gently passing the sharp-pointed steel through 
the superficial tat. gives it a plunge forward, a turn, and withdraws 
his weapon. A gush of blood follows, which is usually caught in 
proper r the purpose of forming puddings. The 

5S ..-what slackened — the victim totters. .-eye glaz- 

es — his • - se — he falls, and life would speedily become 

extinct ; but, alas ! the bu aid by the job, he is in a hur- 

ry, and civ the out of the poor brute's carcass, nay. ere 

or moan, he is tumbled into the scalding tub ; 
he is then withdrawn in a second, placed upon a table, the hair 
and br - 3 ifully remoi . with a knife; disem- 

bowelling follows — and it is well if the poor wretch has perished 

In olden times, it would appear that our butchers w< 1 

iful. All the skulls of hogs were broken in 

upon the frontal bon . same manner as are now 

nills of oxen and other animals. Were the hog first deprived 

y by compression of the brain, as produced by a violent 

blow upon the forehead, he would be a passive victim in the butch- 



SLAUGHTERING AND CURING. 57 

er's hands, who could not only perform all the remainder of the 
process with more humanity, but — and think well of it, such of you 
as might probably be swayed by no other consideration — with 
more despatch and less trouble. 

I am happy in being able to add, that the humane custom of 
knocking the hog on the head before cutting his throat, is rapidly 
gaining ground, and that no respectable butcher will allow it to be 
dispensed with. In the country parts of both England and Ire- 
land, however, the old abuses are still permitted to exist ; and I am 
grieved to say that everywhere, with a very few honorable excep- 
tions, the barbarous practice of plunging the hog into the scald, 
while yet living, is still systematically and designedly adopted. A 
very respectable man surprised me the other day, by deliberately 
telling me that " A hog will no way scald so well as when the life 
is in him." This is, however, a mistake. It is only necessary not 
to suffer the animal to become cold and stiff. Readers — I raise 
my voice in behalf of a most useful and most cruelly treated ani- 
mal ; may I beg of you all to unite with me in the cause of hu- 
manity, and then I shall not have raised my voice in vain. 

And now, having supposed the animal killed and dressed, let 
us proceed to inquire into the most approved modes by which its 
flesh may be converted hito bacon and ham. The hog should be 
left fasting for full twenty-four hours before killed ; and after the 
carcass has hung all night, it should be laid on its back upon a 
strong table. The head should then be cut off close by the ears, 
and the hinder feet so far below the houghs as not to disfigure the 
hams, and leave room sufficient to hang them up by ; after which 
the carcass is divided into equal halves, up the middle of the back- 
bone, with a cleaving-knife, and, if necessary, a hand-mallet. Then 
cut the ham from the side by the second joint of the back-bone, 
which will appear on dividing the carcass, and dress the ham by 
paring a little off the flank, or skinny part, so as to shape it with 
a half round point, clearing off any top fat that may appear. The 
curer will next cut off the sharp edge along the back-bone with a 
knife and mallet, and slice off the first rib next the shoulder, where 
he will find a bloody vein, which must be taken out, for, if left in, 
that part is apt to spoil. The corners should be squared off 
when the ham is cut out. 

I quote this passage, because it recommends a novel mode of 
cutting bacon, and one which I have not as yet seen practised. The 
ordinary practice is to cut out the spine or back-bone, and, in some 
3* 



58 HOGS. 

English counties, to take out the ribs also. It is only in porkers 
that the back-bone is thus divided. 

The most approved mode of saving bacon, as practised by a ma- 
jority of those extensive curers who have kindly favored me with 
the necessary details of this portion of my subject, is as follows : — 
If the swine j^ou design killing have been a recent purchase, and 
have been driven from a distance, so as to have become winded or 
jaded, it is right that they should be kept up for a week, or per- 
haps more, until the effects of the journey have been entirely re- 
moved, and the animals restored to their original tranquillity and 
primeness of condition ; during this interval they should be fed 
upon meal and water. A difference of opinion exists, as to whe- 
ther this food should be given hi a raw state or boiled. I have 
taken some pains to ascertain the truth, and have no hesitation in 
pronouncing in favor of the latter ; at the same time, however, the 
mess should be given in a perfectly cold state, and not of too thick 
consistence. Some recommend that a small dose of nitre should 
be given daily in the food for a fortnight previous to killing ; others 
pronounce this to be unnecessary ; but all unite in recommending 
a very considerable reduction hi the animal's food for two or even 
three days before killing, and a total deprivation of food for at least 
the last twelve hours of life. 

In the country districts of Ireland, the hog is usually secured by 
the hind leg to a post or ring, the head is fastened to another ; the 
animal is thus securely strapped down upon a sloping slab or ta- 
ble, and the head is severed from the body by means of a sharp 
knife. I am informed that the bacon of a hog thus killed is more 
easily saved, and is superior in flavor and color. 

The ordinary mode of killing a hog is, I am most happy to say, 
gradually approximating to such as humanity would dictate. It 
is thus : — A flat stage or table, inclining downwards in one direc- 
tion, is prepared ; the pig receives a powerful blow with a mallet 
upon the forehead, which effectually deprives him of sensation ; he 
is then thrown upon the stage, and a knife plunged into the chest, 
or rather into that spot where the chest- meets the neck. The 
blood flows freely, and is received into vessels placed for the pur- 
pose. A large tub or other vessel has been previously got ready, 
which is now filled with boiling water. The carcass of the hog is 
plunged into this, and the hair is then removed with the edge of a 
knife. The hair is more easily removed if the hog be scalded ere 
he stiffens or becomes quite cold, and hence some butchers cruelly 



SLAUGHTERING- AND CURING. 59 

conceive it advisable to scald him while yet there is some life in him. 
The animal is now hung up, opened, and the entrails removed ; 
the head, feet, &c, are cut off, and the carcass divided, cutting up 
at each side of the spine. A strong knife and mallet are necessary 
for this purpose, and will be found to answer better than a saw. 

Bacon is cured in very different ways. For domestic use, it is 
usually laid upon a table, and salt with a little nitre added, well 
rubbed in, first on one side and then on the other, either with the 
bare hand or the salting glove. Some straw is then placed upon 
the floor of an out-house, a flitch laid thereon, with the rind 
downwards — straw laid above this, then another flitch, and so on ; 
above the whole is placed a board, and heavy stones or weights 
above all. In three weeks or a month the meat is sufficiently 
salted, and is hung up on hooks in the kitchen rafters. The 
general practice of burning wood and turf in Irish kitchens, im- 
parts a sweetness to the bacon thus saved that is not to be met 
with in any which you can purchase. 

Another mode is as follows : — Prepare a pickle, by boiling com- 
mon salt and nitre in water ; mix, for a single hog, of tolerable size, 
one pound of coarse brown sugar, with half a pound of nitre ; rub 
this well in with the salting glove, then put the meat into the 
pickle, and let it lie in this for two days ; afterwards take it out of 
the pickle, and rub it with salt alone, then put it back into the 
pickle. 

For a mild cure — Form sweet pickle, by boiling molasses with 
salt and water ; rub the meat with sugar and nitre — add a small 
portion of strong pickle to the meat — put the meat into this, and 
let it lie in it for three weeks. If there be any spare room in the 
cask, fill up with molasses — eight pounds of salt, one pound of 
nitre, and six pints of molasses will about suffice for each hundred 
weight of meat ; and will take about five gallons of water. 

In about three weeks, less or more time being required according 
to size, take the meat out of pickle, and hang it in the drying- 
house. While in the drying-house, the flitches should be hung, 
neck downwards. You may cut out the ham, and trim the flitch 
according to fancy — nearly every county in England has, in this 
respect, a fashion of its own. 

You then remove your hams and bacon to the smoking-house : 
they should not be suffered to touch each other ; with this precau* 
tion you may hang them as closely as you please. Smoke-houses 
are of every dimension, but the smallest answer as well as the 



60 HOGS. 

most extensive. Before suspending the meat in the smoke-house, 
it should be previously well rubbed over with bran. The fire is 
made of saw-dust, which burns with a low smouldering glow, 
giving out far more smoke than if actually flaming. 

In the process of smoking, your meat will lose from about fifteen 
to twenty pounds per hundred weight — a fact necessary to be 
borne in mind. 

Sometimes the hogs are killed before they arrive at full size, and 
their hair removed by singeing ; the bacon and hams of these are 
said to possess peculiar delicacy of flavor. 

The best saw-dust for smoking hams or bacon is that made from 
oak, and it should be thoroughly dry. The saw-dust of common 
deal imparts a flavor of a disagreeable character, not unlike that 
of red herrings. 

Westphalian Hams. — The genuine Westphalian bacon is par- 
ticularly good, but all sold under that name is not genuine ; 
spurious Westphalian hams are manufactured to a considerable 
extent. The process of imitation is not difficult, and none but one 
of the trade can detect the imposture. The fine quality of West- 
phalian bacon depends on several causes : the healthy and semi- 
wild life the swine are permitted to enjoy — their relationship to the 
wild boar — they are not fattened to the fullest extent previous to 
killing. A large proportion of sugar and juniper-berries are used 
in curing — the proportion being usually one and a half pounds of 
sugar to three of salt, and two ounces of nitre. The smoke is also 
applied in a cold state. This is, perhaps, the principal secret. The 
hams are all hung at the top of a very lofty building, and by the 
time the smoke reaches them it is perfectly cold. 

The ham of the Westphalian hog closely resembles that of the 
common old Irish breed ; and the hams of that animal, when 
cured as has been described, could not be distinguished from those 
of Westphalia by the nicest judge. 

Limerick. — The hams cured in Limerick have long enjoyed con- 
siderable celebrity, and are supposed to be superior to any others 
— those of Westphalia and Hampshire alone excepted. Their 
excellence appears chiefly to depend upon the sparing use of salt, 
and the substitution for it, to a great extent, of coarse sugar, with 
judicious smoking. Some of the Limerick smoking-rooms are up- 
wards of thirty feet in height. 

Hampshire. — The Hampshire bacon is in greater esteem than 
even the Westphalian — a circumstance attributable to the superior 



SLAUGHTEEING AND CUEING. 61 

excellence of the New-forest swine to those of that country, while 
they share equally with them the privilege of a forest life and 
acorns. The Hampshire curers smoke with saw-dust. In both 
this county and in Berkshire, singeing is adopted more generally 
than scalding, and this process is considered superior to scalding, 
the latter being supposed to soften the rind and render the fat less 
firm. 

The Wiltshire bacon is of peculiarly delicious quality, but the 
cause is obvious, and is not to be referred to any of the details of 
the curing process. This bacon is prepared from dairy-fed pork — 
this is the true secret. 

In some counties, the pig is skinned prior to curing. Some 
amount of additional profit is of course derivable from this practice, 
but the bacon is inferior, being liable to become rusty, as well as 
to waste in the boiling. 

Hams and flitches should always be hung up in a dry place, 
indeed it will be found useful to sew up the former in pieces of 
canvass or sacking, as is practised with the Westphalian. 

It is difficult to save bacon in summer time, or in warm climates, 
but a machine has recently been invented, for which a patent has 
been obtained, which renders the saving of meat under the most 
adverse circumstances perfectly easy. The machine acts as a force- 
pump or syringe. Its extremity is inserted into the meat, and the 
handle worked ; the brine, which must be very strong, is thus 
forced through the grain .of the meat, and it is effectually impreg- 
nated with it, and well cured long ere it could turn : there can be 
no doubt but that this instrument is, under such circumstances as I 
describe, eminently useful — but it is no less certain that meat so 
cured is not equal to that saved under ordinary circumstances, and 
in the ordinary manner ; the grain of the meat is too much loosened 
by the use of the machine, and the texture is thus deteriorated ; 
it should, therefore, only be used when necessity requires, and 
never by preference, where the ordinary process can be adopted. 

To extract the superabundant salt from your meat, prior to use, 
has long been a desideratum. The steeping it in water to which 
carbonate of soda has been added, is found useful ; so is the addi- 
tion of the same substance, or of lime, to the water in which it is 
boiled ; so is changing the water, after the meat has been about 
half boiled. Sailors find washmg the meat in sea water very effi- 
cacious, but I have made the discovery that this object can be 
attained to a far fuller extent by a very simple chemical process. 



62 hogs. 

Put your meat to sleep m tepid water, and after it has lain in it 
for some hours, add a small quantity of sulphuric acid. In three 
or ('.air hours, take it out, and wash it two or three times in water; 
to the third water, add a small portion of carbonate of soda. Take 
your meal out, wash it again, and boil it for dinner. You will 
find the salt nearly, it" not wholly, discharged ; but you need not 
be surprised should the color of the meat be somewhat darkened 
— the deterioration does not extend farther ; the flavor remains the 
same as when first corned, and the article becomes as wholesome 
as fresh meat. It is possible that this simple process maybefound 
useful in long voyages, for a long-continued use of salted animal 
food without a free use of vegetables is found to contribute to the 
production of many diseases. 

The following communication, coming from a curer by profes- 
sion, will be found at once interesting and useful : — 

"The hog is usually kept fasting for twenty-four hours previous 
to being killed. He is then brought to the slaughter-house, and 
despatched in the following manner: The butcher takes a mall 
(a hammer with a lone- handle, like those used for breaking stones 
on a road), and with it strikes the hog on the forehead ; if he be 
an expert hand, a single blow will suffice to knock the hog down, 
and render him quite senseless. A knife is then taken, and the 
butcher sticks the animal in the lower part of the throat, just be- 
tween the fore legs. A boiler or tub, full of very hot or boiling 
water, is then prepared, in which the hog is immersed until the 
hair becomes so loose that it can be scraped off with a knife quite 
clean ; where there is no convenience of this kind, the same effect 
may be produced by pouring boiling water over the hog. The hog- 
is then hung up by the hind legs, cut up the middle, and the en- 
trails taken out ; after this, the carcass is left there for about twelve 
hours, to cool and become firm, when it is tit for boning or cutting 
up. Sometimes, instead of scalding, the hog is singed by fire — 
burned straw is generally used for this purpose; and this is called 
' singed pork.' 

"The following is the mode of boning or cutting: — The pig is 
placed on a strong table or bench; the head is then cut off close 
to the ears ; the hog is then opened down the back, a cleaver or 
saw is used for the purpose, and both back-bone and hip-bones are 
taken out, except in one or two places, yet to be spoken of, where 
a different system is pursued. The hind-feet are then cut off, so 
as to leave a shank to the ham. The fore-legs are then cut round 



SLAUGHTERING AND CURING. 63 

at the hough, the flesh scraped upwards off the bone, and off the 
shoulder-blade, which is taken out, quite bare, under the side. 
The saw is then run along* the ribs, so as to crack them ; they then 
He quite flat. The hog is then divided straight up the back, and 
the sides are ready for salting, the ham still remaining in. 

" When the sides are ready for salting, they are well rubbed on 
the rind side, and the space from which the shoulder-blade was 
taken out is filled with salt. The sides are then laid singly upon 
a flagged floor, and salt is shaken over them. In a day, or two 
days if the weather be cold, they must again be salted in the same 
manner ; but now two sides may be put together, and powdered 
saltpetre shaken over each side, in the proportion of about two 
ounces to each side, if of average bacon size. After three or four 
days, the sides are to be again changed, the shanks of the hams 
rubbed, the salt stirred on, a little fresh salt shaken over them, and 
five or six sides may now be placed over each other. The sides may 
then be left thus for a week, when they may be piled one over 
the other to the number of ten or twenty sides, if you have killed 
so many hogs. Leave them so for above three weeks, until they 
get firm ; they may then be considered saved, and will keep so 
for six or eight months, or according to pleasure. 

" When required for use or for market, the sides are taken out 
of the salt, well swept and cleaned — the ham taken out, hung up, 
and dried with turf smoke ; if a brown color be desired, a little 
sawdust of hard wood may be thrown over the turf. If hung up 
in a kitchen where turf is burned, and suffered to remain, not too 
near the fire, the same effect will be produced ; and if the bacon 
have been well saved in salt, it will be excellent. 

" The Belfast and Limerick methods of cutting differ from what 
I have described, inasmuch as the hip bones are left in, and the 
hams are cut out, while the hog is fresh, and saved separately. In 
some cases, also, the ribs are taken out of the sides, and, in Bel- 
fast, the shoulder blade is taken out over the side. 

" Both the Belfast and Limerick hams are cured in the same 
mild manner ; they are, as I have stated, cut out of the hog when 
fresh, cured separately, and only left a sufficient time to be saved, 
and no more. They are not suffered to become too salty, a fault 
sometimes perceptible in the Wicklow hams. The Limerick and 
Belfast curers also make up different other portions of the hog 
separately, as long sides, middles, and rolls, for the English market. 



64 HOGS. 

" Sometimes the ribs are taken out, and sometimes not, accord- 
ing to the markel for which they are intended. 

"Limerick and Belfast hams are cured in the following man- 
ner: — They are cut fresh from the pig, with the hip bones left in 
them, and arc placed on a flagged floor, the front of the second 
ham resting upon the shank of the first, and so on until all are 
placed; they are then sprinkled with strong pickle from a watering 
pot, and ;i small quantity of sail is shaken over them. Next day, 
the hams are taken up, well rubbed with salt, and laid down as 
before, when saltpetre is shaken over them in quantities propor- 
tionate to their siz>' ; they are left so for two days, and then taken 
tin and rubbed as before, when they are laid down again, accord- 
ing to the space they have to fill — from three to six hams in 
height, with layers of salt between. After six days, the hams are 
reversed in the piles, that is, those that were packed on the top 
are put at the bottom. They then remain for six days longer in 
the pile, when they are considered cured. They are then taken 
up, and washed, and hung up to dry in the air. When they are 
to be smoked, they should be placed in a house made for that pur- 
pose, and smoked — in Belfast, with wheaten straw and sawdust, in 
Limerick with peat or turf. 

•• Tie' English method of cutting up and curing is similar to 
that practised in Belfast and Limerick, with the difference, that, 
with the. exception of Hampshire, and, I believe, one other county, 
they never smoke their bacon. 

" We have, this season, had imported a great quantity of hams 
and other bacon from Cincinnati, and Baltimore, in America. 
They are cut in the same manner as the Limerick, and are in much 
esteem. The cured shoulders of the hog have also been imporl d 
— cut straight across, with tie- blade in, and tic .-hank left attach- 
ed. We have also received middles, and quantities of pork, in bar- 
rels, which is merely the hog cut up in pieces, and pickled. 

" I have reason to know that there are at the present time num- 
bers of curers emigrating from our best curing districts to America, 
ami we may accordingly expect, ere long, to find our American 
hams surpassing, owing to tie- quali ty of tie- hogs they will have 
to operate upon, even our long-famed Limerick hams/' 

THE ESD. 



BY 

C. M. SAXTON, 

152 PULTOK STEEET, NEW YORK, 

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Liebig's Complete Works, 

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